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The Reformation of the 
Nineteenth Century 



A SERIES OF 



HISTORICAL SKETCHES 



Dealing witb tbe IRlse anD {progress of 
tbe IRellgious /Movement ITnaugurateD 
b^ ^bomas anD HleianDer Campbell 
from its ©rigin to tbe Close of tbe 
mineteentb Gentur)8 



EDITED BY 

J. H. GARRISON 



ST. LOUIS 
CHRISTIAN PUBLISHING COMPANY 
1901 



4 



5^ 



6 



«^A^ 



fTHE LIBRARY OF 
CONGRESS, 

Two Cowea Received 

SEP. 20 1901 

Copyright entry 

CLASS a. xXc. Nu. 

COPY 3. 



Copyrighted, 1901, by 
CHRISTIAN PUBI^ISHING COMPANY 



CONTENTS. 



INTRODUCTION 



INTRODUCTORY PERIOD. 

I. The Beginning 17 

II. The Appeal to the Synod ..... 25 

III. An Important Rule Adopted .... 33 

IV. Declaration and Address .... 41 
V. Campbell's Connection with the Baptists . 50 

VI. Alexander Campbell and His Co-laborers . 63 
VII. Alexander Campbell and His Co-laborers — 

Concluded 71 

VIII. The Union Principle Applied — Union with the 

"Christian" Reformers .... 83 
IX. The First National Convention Held in Cincin- 
nati, October, 1849— the Call ... 101 
X. Meeting and Organization of the Convention — 

It Begins Its Work .... 107 

XI. The Formation of the Missionary Society . 114 



PERIOD OF ORGANIZATION. 

I. The First Mission Field 127 

II. The First Foreign Missionary .... 134 

III. Our First Missionary and His Work . . 140 

IV. Education in the Decade Beginning with 1850 153 

(3) 



4 Contents 

PAGE 

THE TURBULENT PERIOD. 

I. Civil War and the Christian Churches . . 161 

II. Controversial Questions Ab Intra . . , 187 

III. The Birth of Heresy-Hunting — New Questions 196 

IV. An Important Crisis Reached . , . . 209 
V, The Dawn of Literature Among the Disciples 217 

VI. Necrology . ■ 228 

VII. Recapitulatory Survey 263 



THE TRANSITION PERIOD. 

I. A General View of the Situation 

II. The Music Controversy 

HI. The Society Controversy . 

IV. "The Louisville Plan" 

V. The Growth of a Progressive Spirit 



271 
279 

288 
296 
306 



PERIOD OF REVIVAL OF HOME MISSIONS. 

I. Introduction . . . . . . . 317 

11. The Expansion of Our Missionary Work . 332 

HI. The Results of the Years .... 347 

IV. Christian Union in Our National Conventions 357 



THE PERIOD OF FOREIGN MISSIONS. 

I. The Organization of the Foreign Christian Mis- 

sionar}' Society ..... 377 

II. The First Missions 388 

HI. India 402 

IV. Japan . . ...'... 415 



Contents 5 

PAGE 

V. China and Africa . . , , o . 425 

VI. Conclusion ....... 440 

PERIOD OF WOMAN'S WORK. 

The Christian Woman's Board of Missions . 455 

LESSONS FROM OUR PAST 491 



INTRODUCTION. 



The religious reformation inaugurated by Thomas 
and Alexander Campbell in western Pennsylvania in 
1809, and which subsequently received as a tribu- 
tary part of the movement begun by Barton W. 
Stone of Kentucky about the year 1801, has now 
attained dimensions and standing which make it 
certain that it is to rank high among the religious 
forces of this country. Conscious of a high mission, 
inspired by dauntless hope, and increasing in num- 
bers at a ratio far in excess of older religious bodies, 
it is destined, during the century upon which we 
have entered, to become one of the chief factors in 
molding the religious thought and life of the people 
of this and other countries. In proportion as any 
religious movement becomes a potent force in af- 
fecting the welfare of mankind, its early history 
becomes interesting and important. This is espe- 
cially true of the very beginnings of its history 
where those influences which have molded its char- 
acter are most clearly seen. It is due to the world 
no less than to the heroic men who were chief actors 
in such a movement, that the motives which in- 
spired them, the principles which guided them, and 
the forces which opposed them, together with the 

results of this conflict, should be set down accu- 

(7) 



8 hitrodziction 

rately for the information and benefit of those who 
are to come after us. 

If the writer did not most profoundly believe that 
this effort to restore the essential features of the 
New Testament Church, and the Christianity of 
Christ was one of those providential movements 
designed by God to correct existing evils in the 
church, and to purify religion from its corruptions 
that the Gospel may run and be glorified in the 
earth, then he would feel but slight interest compar- 
atively in its history and achievements. But recog- 
nizing, as we do, the hand of God in the origin and 
development of this remarkable movement of the 
nineteenth century, we feel that we are rendering 
an important service to the present and to the future, 
in putting on record the causes which gave birth to 
it, and the influences which by action and reaction 
have made it what it is. If God be immanent in 
human affairs, teaching his lessons to men by means 
of history, then the faithful historian fulfills an im- 
portant function in the education of mankind. This 
is pre-eminently true of that kind of history which 
deals with the highest and most enduring interests of 
men — the struggles of the human mind and heart to 
know God, and to understand his will concerning 
us. 

Considerations like these have influenced the 
editor of this work in planning this series of histor- 
ical sketches covering the ninety years of our history 
as a religious movement. It was felt to be import- 



Introduction 9 

ant that such a history should be written while 
many of the men are yet living whose lives span the 
larger part of this history, and whose memories 
reach back to the men who were the chief actors in 
the early scenes of the Reformation, and who did 
most to give to the movement its direction and char- 
acter. It is a matter for congratulation that the 
earliest chapters of this volume have been written 
by one who was personally and intimately ac- 
quainted with the fathers of this movement, and 
who was so associated with them in their work as to 
have an accurate knowledge of those motives and 
aims which inspired them, and of -those principles 
which guided them in all their religious work. The 
same may be said of some of the other writers of 
these earlier chapters. It may be said of them what 
another historian has said of himself, that they 
have written history, all of which they knew and 
part of which they were. 

It is safe to say that no volume of history in ex- 
istence contains so much information concerning the 
rise and progress of the Reformation of the nine- 
teenth century as this volume which is now offered 
to the public. No history of this Reformation 
which may be written in later years will contain so 
much direct information by men who were them- 
selves participants in the scenes which they describe, 
as is presented in this volume. For this reason this 
work must always hold a unique place in the histor- 
ical records of this Reformation. The fact here 



lO l7itrodtiction 

mentioned will be appreciated far more by those 
who live at the end of the twentieth century than 
by those who are living now. These early memo- 
rials by men who were eye and ear witnesses of the 
stirring scenes in the formative period of this move- 
ment, will become very precious to the students and 
historians of this Reformation of the Nineteenth 
Century, in that distant future. For their benefit, 
no less than for the benefit of those now living, has 
this volume been prepared. 

One thing more we may be permitted to say by 
way of introduction. It is of the very greatest im- 
portance to the successful ongoing of this remark- 
able movement in religious history that the younger 
generation, now coming upon the stage of action, 
should become thoroughly acquainted with the spirit 
which animated, and the principles which controlled 
the men who, under God, gave the primary impulse 
to this restoration movement. They should become 
familiar with the conflicts of those early days and 
with the sacrifices made by those heroic men and 
women who loved truth more than popularity, more 
than ease, more than wealth, more even than friends 
and family ties. It is only as we shall be able to 
perpetuate this love of truth, this freedom from the 
bondage of tradition and inherited opinions, that we 
shall be able to carry forward, successfully, the 
movement which they inaugurated. No doubt we 
shall have new issues to meet, new problems to 
solve and new battles to fight; but we shall need the 



Introduction 1 1 

same dauntless heroism, the same faith in God and 
in his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, the same zeal for 
truth and the same great underlying principles 
which characterized those who wrought in the begin- 
ning of the movement and who have transmitted to 
us the responsibility of carrying forward the work 
which they only began. If this volume which is 
now sent forth, shall serve to inspire the younger 
generation of w^orkers who are to succeed us wdth 
the same passion for the pure Christianity of Christ, 
with the same zeal for a united church, with the 
same spirit of loyalty to Christ and of freedom in 
Christ, which marked the beginnings of this reform- 
ation, and it shall serve the further purpose of con- 
veying to generations yet unborn the testimony of 
men who were themselves actors in many of the 
thrilling events and triumphs of those early days, 
and if thus the kingdom of God may be advanced 
and the unity of his people promoted, the purpose 
alike of the editor, the writers and the publishers 
shall have been fulfilled. 

J. H. Garrison. 
Rose Hii,i., St. Louis, 

January, 1901. 



Reformation of the Nineteenth 
Century 



Introductory Period 



CHAS. I.OUIS IvOOS 



INTRODUCTORY PERIOD 



I. 

THE BEGINNING. 

The beginning of this American reformation, 
which finally developed into a clearly determined 
enterprise for the complete repristination of the 
Church, in doctrine, institutions and life, is in many 
respects so extraordinary that it impresses on us 
throughout its entire progress, with singular force, 
the conviction that the hand of God in a very 
notable manner directed it. Its entire history con- 
stitutes, in fact, the most remarkable chapter in the 
religious annals of this country. 

In studying the events and the incidents of these 
introductory years, and the persons who prominently 
figured in them, a strong temptation comes upon us 
to pause at every step and enlarge thoughtfully on 
the particular facts that constitute, in an essential 
manner, the beginning of this extraordinary reform- 
atory movement. 

THOMAS CAMPBELL. 

An humble, but intellectually and spiritually 

rarely gifted minister of the rural Seceder parish of 

Ahorey, in the county of Armagh, Ireland, chiefly 
2 (17) 



1 8 Reformation of the Nineteenth Centzny 

because of failing health, determined to seek for 
himself and his family a home in the United States. 
Doubtless other motives also entered strongly into 
this purpose. He came alone, intending to send for 
his family as soon as he had established himself in 
the New Woxld. He arrived in Philadelphia, May 
the 27th, 1807, being- then in the forty-fourth year 
of his age. The Seceder Synod of North America 
was in session in this city when he landed. He at 
once presented his credentials to this body. He was 
cordially received, and at once assigned to the Pres- 
bytery of Chartiers in Southwestern Pennsylvania. 

The territory then embraced by this Presbytery is 
one of the most attractive, and for this man of God 
most fortunately chosen sections of our country. 
"His lines had fallen to him in pleasant places," 
and he found for himself and his family "a goodly 
heritage." The magnificent region of which Pitts- 
burgh is the great center, and of which Washington 
county constitutes one of the finest parts, was in 
that day, and yet is, a stronghold of Presbyterianism, 
in its various forms, in the United States. 

As a true servant of God, this remarkable man, as 
soon as he had become fixed in his new home, began 
in a very earnest way to exercise his ministry as a 
member of the Presbytery of Chartiers, which 
embraced a number of counties. He had come to 
America as a zealous missionary of the Cross, filled 
with the love of souls — all souls, wherever he could 
find them. Already in Ireland, through various 
influences, he had learned to cherish a liberal relig- 
'ious spirit, to esteem as of little value the barriers of 



httroductory Period 19 

denominationalism that separate Christians; and his 
own natural generosity and kindliness of heart, as 
well as his clear intelligence and large and profound 
knowledge of the Bible, powerfully sustained this 
tendency in him. He brought this inestimable 
treasure with him to the New World. 

"STRAITNESS" OF THE SECEDKR CHURCH. 

It is well known that the Seceders constitute one 
of the "straitest sects" of the Calvinistic faith. To 
this hour, in the very corner of Pennsylvania to 
which Thomas Campbell had come, as well as else- 
where, they will not affiliate in full fraternal fellow- 
ship with other Presbyterians. I well remember 
that in 1840 a Scotch Seceder minister, in eastern 
Ohio, would prepare his flock for the worthy partici- 
pation of the "Sacrament" with such words as 
these: "My brethren, I exhort you to abhor all other 
denominations, especially the Catholics." It was 
in the matter of the communion that the severe test 
of fellowship was applied. 

We can well imagine what would be the experi- 
ence of such a man as Thomas Campbell amid such 
surroundings. He had come to America with his 
heart filled with a burning zeal to labor in the 
Lord's vineyard, and in largest charity for all God's 
people, while still maintaining sincerely and fully 
his relations to his particular communion. He 
believed — we know this of him — that in this freest 
land men's hearts — those of all enlightened Chris- 
tians, and above all of the ministry — would neces- 



20 Reformation of the Nineteenth Century 

sarily be emancipated from the unyielding sectarian 
prejudices and animosities of the Old World. While 
eminently prudent and peace-loving, he was a man 
of heroic temper. He would not temporize nor bow 
his neck to the tyrannous dictates of human tradi- 
tions or human policy. This brave spirit he had 
already shown in his early youth, when he decided 
from conviction not to follow the religion of his 
father, who w^as attached to the Church of England, 
and preferred, as he used to say, "to worship God 
according to Act of Parliament." "The Law of the 
Lord," in the word and spirit of the Gospel, which 
is "the Law of Liberty," was Thomas Campbeirs 
supreme rule of life. 

CONFLICT WITH THE TRADITIONS OF THE CHURCH. 

It is proper now to unfold the historical develop- 
ment of the events which led to the final crisis that 
inaugurated actually and in a formal manner the 
reformatory movement of the Campbells. 

Thomas Campbell, as already stated, began his 
ministerial activity as a member of the Seceder body 
and among the Seceder congregations. These were 
not very numerous nor very large within the limits 
of the Chartiers Presbytery; the power of expansive 
growth was not in them, as their history in America 
demonstrates. The new Irish minister at once 
gained a wide and strong influence. His natural 
ability, his scholarship and literary culture, made 
him much superior to the preachers in that region 
in those days; and his deep religious fervor and zeal, 
and his rare courtesy of manners, won the hearts of 



httrodiictory Period 2i 

the people. With his large intelligence and broad 
Christian charity he could not and did not respect, 
in his labors as a servant of the Lord, the narrow 
spirit and strict, illiberal rules and habits of the 
Seceder Church. Besides, as a special motive for 
the enlargement of his ministerial sympathies, he 
had providentially found near him in his new home 
a number of excellent Christian people who had 
come over from Ireland, Presbyterians and Inde- 
pendents, some of whom had been his acquaintances 
and cherished friends in his native land. These at 
once gathered around him, and he promptly took 
them to his heart in his ministrations as Christian 
brethren. This sort of freedom, however, was not 
in consonance with "the usages" of the Seceders. 

But he took a step which went even farther than 
this, and thus in a very decided manner transgressed 
the established custom of his Church. 

He was sent on a missionary tour with a young 
colleague, a Mr. Wilson, beyond Pittsburgh, up the 
Allegheny valley, to hold a celebratior. of the Sacra- 
ment among the scattered Seceders of that then 
sparsely settled region. He found there many mem- 
bers of other Presbyterian bodies who had not for a 
long time enjoyed the privilege of these by them so 
highly cherished occasions. His heart urged him 
to deplore in his introductory sermon the existing 
divisions among Christians, and to invite all the 
pious among his hearers, who were prepared for it, 
to unite in the participation of this sacred feast of 
God's people; and many accepted the invitation. 
This was a bold infraction of Seceder custom. The 



23 Reformation of the Nineteenth Century 

great body of American Presbyterians are free from 
such illiberality. Nothing, perhaps, sets forth in 
such a repulsive form the odiousness of sectarianism 
as this uncharitable exclusiveness of the Seceders 
even towards their fellow Presbyterians. The mind 
of Thomas Campbell, in its large intelligence, as 
well as his heart in its generous Christian charity, 
could have no fellowship with such intolerable 
bigotry. 

Mr. Wilson, during this journey with Thomas 
Campbell, soon discovered in his conversations with 
him that he had but little regard for sectarian differ- 
ences and prejudices. At that time, as is well 
known, denominational distinctions were much more 
tenaciously insisted on, and the prejudices engen- 
dered by them more intense, than to-day. Mr. 
Wilson became convinced that his senior brother 
was not '"sound" in the Seceder faith. His conduct 
in inviting those not of this Church to partake of 
the communion Vv^as an overt act of extreme trans- 
gression that could not be overlooked. He made no 
objection at the time this grave offense was com- 
mitted. He felt it his duty, however, to bring the 
matter before the Presbytery at its next meeting. 
The charge contained several complaints; but the 
principal one was this public act in regard to the 
communion. It recited, moreover, that Thomas 
Campbell had expressed his disapprobation of things 
in the "Standards," and of the practical application 
of them. 

The Presbytery, already much dissatisfied with 
Thomas Campbell's liberal course, readily took up 



Introductory Period 23 

tlie complaints in Mr. Wilson's charge. But they 
had before them a man who, although ever remark- 
ably inclined to peace and warmly attached to his 
Church, would nevertheless not yield to any human 
authority aQ^ainst his convictions in matters of seri- 
ous importance. The present was a decisive 
moment in his life, reaching in its effects far beyond 
what either he or his judges could dream of. Such 
crises make history. 

Thomas Campbell was a man of noble presence, 
revealing at once in all his bearing the man of God 
who would stand firm as a rock for truth and right, 
looking to God alone as his sovereign judge; to this 
many events in his life bear record. Such was the 
man with whom this Seceder tribunal, with its 
illiberal disposition and its traditional narrow, 
proscriptive standards, had now to deal. 

At the trial many searching questions were put to 
him, in order to bring out fully his attitude in his 
views to the Church. He answered these, as was 
natural to him, in a candid, but prudent and even 
conciliatory spirit and language, being desirous to 
avoid disturbing his friendly relations with his 
brethren, above all a rupture with the Church, a 
thing never contemplated by him and that would 
have been most revolting to his mind. He bravely 
maintained, however, that he had in no respect 
transgressed the Word of God; this was the supreme 
question with him. But the Presbytery could not 
appreciate this, the highest law of the human soul; 
they decided that he deserved censure for not 
respecting the "Seceder Testimony." 



24 Reformation of the Nineteenth Centuiy 

Thomas Campbell was not the man to submit 
passively to what he regarded a great wrong, espe- 
cially as it affected the liberty of the Gospel in his 
ministerial usefulness, and the privileges of the 
saints in the house of God; these were points of vital 
importance with him. He therefore appealed to the 
highest tribunal of the Church, the Synod of North 
America, hoping that there greater wisdom and 
intelligence, and a higher regard for the law of the 
Word of God would be found, and consequently 
larger liberty and justice prevail. He had yet to 
learn how far in this free" Christian land the Church 
stood from the primitive order in its doctrine, habits 
and life; how extreme yet was, as in the days of 
Jesus in Palestine, the tyrannous dominion of human 
traditions over the souls of men, and how com- 
pletely these had made void the law of God. 

The scene of this trial in the humble Seceder 
meeting-house in Western Pennsylvania is worthy 
of immortality. This man of God, though a 
stranger and alone in a foreign land, removed more 
than a thousand leagues from home and family, did 
not look to the future; he knew not "what awaited 
him." He could not then understand how far- 
reaching and mighty, in God's purpose, would be 
the consequences of his action that day. The only 
question with him was. What is right? the results 
he left to God. But this is the sort of men that, in 
the divine judgment, like the Hebrew prophets of 
ancient times, are worthy in these later da3^s to lead 
the people of God back to the old apostolic paths. 



II. 

THE APPEAL TO THE SYNOD. 

As ALREADY stated, Thomas Campbell appealed 
from the decision of the Chartiers Presbytery to the 
Seceder Synod of North America, the highest court 
of the Church. Like all men of large minds and 
generous hearts^ he had confidence in the enlight- 
ened and God-fearing of his brethren; he judged 
others by himself, as is natural for men. He was 
yet to learn the most painful lesson of his life. . But 
this experience was necessary to open his eyes; by it 
the hand of God was to lead him, step by step, into 
the path destined for him — that of the reformer who 
should strive to free the people of God from the 
bondage of human traditions, and lead them back 
into the full light and liberty of the apostolic faith 
and life. 

But while not without hopes of a just action on 

the part of the Synod, he had already come to know 

that the sectarian prejudices and passions of many 

of his ministerial brethren, mingled also, as he could 

not have failed to see, with feelings of jealousy, 

were arrayed against him; so that he had much 

reason to believe that their influence would be used 

against him in the Synod. He therefore addressed 

an appeal to this body, in which he set forth in 

clear, earnest and strong words his position involved 

in the charges on which the Presbytery had decided 

(25) 



26 Reformation of the Nineteenth Century 

against him. He knew that an unfavorable judg- 
ment of this supreme ecclesiastical court would end 
in his separation from the Seceder Church; for he 
was resolved not to yield to what he believed to be, 
in matters of the highest moment, contrary to the 
Word of God. This appeal is of great historical 
value to us, and deserves attentive study.* 

"How great the injustice," he exclaims in this 
appeal, "how highly aggravated the injury will 
appear, to thrust out from communion a Christian 
brother, a fellow-minister, for saying and doing none 
other things than those which our Divine Lord and 
his holy apostles have taught, and enjoined to be 
spoken and done by all his people! Or have I, in 
any instance, proposed to say or do otherwise?" 
"I hope it is no presumption to believe 
that saying and doing the very same things that are 
said and done before our eyes on the sacred page, is 
infallibly right, as well as all-sufficient for the edifi- 
cation of the Church, whose duty and perfection is 
in all thino:s to be conformed to the origrinal stand- 
ard. It is, therefore, because I have no confidence 
in my own infallibility or in that of others, that I 
absolutely refuse, as inadmissible and schismatic, 
the introduction of human opinions and human 
inventions into the faith and worship of the Church. 
It is, therefore, because I plead the cause of the 
scriptural and apostolic worship of the Church, in 
opposition to the various errors and schisms which 
have so awfully corrupted and divided it, that the 

^We can cite onh- a part of this admirable document, which is 
given in full in Dr. Richardson's Life of A. Campbell. 



hitroditctory Period 27 

brethren of the Union should feel it difficult to 
admit me as their fellow-laborer in that blessed 
work? I sincerely rejoice with them in what they 
have done; and surely they have no just objection to 
go farther. Nor do I presume to dictate to them or 
to others how they should proceed for the glorious 
purpose of promoting the unity and purity of the 
Church; but only beg leave, for my own part, to 
walk upon that sure and peaceable ground, that I 
may have nothing to do with human controversy 
about the right or wrong side of any opinion what- 
soever, by simply acquiescing in what is written, as 
quite sufficient for every purpose of faith and duty, 
and thereby to influence as many as possible to 
depart from human controversy, to betake them- 
selves to the Scriptures, and, in so doing, to the 
study and practice of faith, holiness and love." 

From the passages here quoted, the reader will 
see that the argument to the Synod was calm and 
even conciliatory in temper and language, but was 
made with eloquent earnestness and power. In this 
Appeal are contained, in full expression, the princi- 
ples that have become the motive and foundation of 
our reformatory plea. It brings us, with the judg- 
ment of the Synod, and Thomas Campbell's action 
in consequence of it, to the decisive moment in his 
life that led to the reformation which has developed 
into so great a history. lyet us study briefly this 
memorable document. 

. First of all, and chief, it is notable how Thomas 
Campbell asserts, with striking clearness and force, 
the great principle which became the battle-cry of 



28 Reformation of the Nineteenth Centtcry 

our plea for reform, viz., that only what is certainly 
of divine authority is to control the faith and con- 
duct of the Church; that "saying and doing the 
same things that are said and done before our eyes 
on the sacred page" — i. e., evidently^ on its very 
surface — "is infallibly right, as well as all-sufhcient 
for the edification of the Church;" that "nothing is 
obligatory upon us," nor have we a right "to impose 
anything upon others, but that for which we can 
produce a 'Thus saith the lyord.' " That, in conse- 
quence, we should hold "as absolutely inadmissible 
and schismatic the introduction of. human opinions 
and inventions into the faith and worship of the 
Church." Furthermore, note how decidedly the 
Appeal declares that the apostolic Church should 
be the model for the Church to-day. In prominence, 
also, it sets forth the great thought that we must 
strive to rescue the Church from "the sinful and 
destructive" reign of schism, and re-establish its 
imity. With great intelligence Thomas Campbell 
insists upon this — that we should recognize the fact 
that "all is not yet done;" that the cause of God 
demands progress in reform and regeneration — the 
very thing which creeds, in their purpose, doctrine 
and spirit deny. Finally, let it not be overlooked, 
for it is a matter of the utmost moment, that this 
brave man — a reformer unconsciously — claims for 
himself and demands for others the right to recog- 
nize those differing from him as Christians, and to 
cultivate, as far as possible, fellowship and union 
with them. This, in fact, was a capital matter with 
him in all his conduct; it was really the cause and 



Introductory Period 29 

ground of his contention with the Presbytery and 
Synod, hence of his becoming an apostolic reformer. 
How great a principle this has become with us, all 
who really understand our magnificent plea of 
reform and its history well know; it has always been 
fundamental with the intelligent of our leaders. 

It is most refreshing to see how this brave man of 
God, standing alone as he did, expresses himself in 
words that bring back to us the mighty voices of the 
great Protestant Reformers. '"'-Your standard in- 
forms me of your views of truth and duty, and my 
declarations give you precisely the same advantage. 
You are willing to be tried in all matters by your 
standard, according to your printed declarations; 
/ am willing to be tried on all matters by my stand- 
ard, according to my written declarations." A 
man, a stranger, a foreigner, alone in his position, 
so to address a National Synod, reveals a spirit of 
intelligence, courage and loyalty to God and his 
Word of the highest order; it makes clearly known 
to us the man who was to be a protagonist, a leader 
in a great religious reformation. What, moreover, 
places the crown of excellence on this eminent char- 
acter is the sincere, manly humility that throws its 
radiance over all his words and all his conduct. 
This so strongly marked trait in Thomas Campbell 
should be especially noted, since it is a quality 
essential to a true Christian reformer. Haughty 
self-sufficiency, obstinate self-assertion, wholly unfit 
a man for this great office; these vices are never 
found in God's chosen men — prophets, apostles and 
reformers; they are always adorned with humility. 



30 Re/orjnation of the Nineteenth Century 

THE ACTION OF THE SYNOD. 

Thomas Campbell, we think, felt that his appeal, 
resting so clearly and so firmly on absolute loyalty 
to the Word of God, and uttering principles so 
eminently noble and just, would call forth in that 
body a response worthy of it. In this he was mis- 
taken, and we cannot be surprised at this; for the 
appeal from first to last was wholly inconsonant 
with the entire structure and life of the Seceder 
Church. The Synod must at once have been con- 
vinced that Thomas Campbell could never find a 
permanent home in its communion. His judges 
were of an altogether different mold of thought from 
himself. They had been reared in and were fettered 
by the narrow traditions of their denomination, and, 
therefore, could neither understand nor sympathize 
with the mind that lived and moved in this grand 
Scotch-Irishman. As Luther, before the august 
imperial assembly at Worms, reverently and fer- 
vently appealed to the Word of God, but was con- 
demned by the "law of the Church," so Thomas 
Campbell, with a holy zeal, invoked in his defense 
the Holy Scriptures; but his tribunal, repelling this 
argument, decided the case according to the tradi- 
tions of their Church. 

The proceedings of the Chartiers Presbytery in 
Mr. Campbell's case was in due form brought before 
the Synod, and then the Appeal was also read. The 
Synod decided relative to the former that "there 
were such informalities in the proceedings of the 
Presbvterv in the trial in the case as to afford suffi- 



> 



Introductoiy Period 31 

cient reason to the Synod to set aside their judgment 
and decision, and to release the protestor from the 
censure inflicted by the Presby ter}'^ " 

This reproof from the Synod sufficiently shows 
not only the * 'informality" of the action of the 
Presbytery, but also the insufficiency of the grounds 
urged by them for the condemnation of Mr. Camp- 
bell. Even the Synod could not justify their con- 
duct. This, however, did not end the matter. The 
whole case, with all the documents relating to the 
trial, were then referred to a special committee, 
which made the following report: 

''Upon the whole, the committee are of the 
opinion that Mr. Campbell's answers to the two first 
articles of the charo;-e are so evasive and unsatisfac- 
tory, and highly equivocal upon great and important 
articles of revealed religion, as to give ground to 
conclude that he has expressed sentiments very 
different upon these articles, and from the sentiments 
held and professed by this Church, and are sufficient 
grounds to infer censure." 

This report was approved; and, as is evident, the 
Synod, while it could not justif}^ the method of the 
Presbytery, was determined to pass censure on 
Thomas Campbell's course, and so virtually sustain 
the spirit and purpose of the charges brought against 
him by his Presbytery. 

The hour had not yet come, nor is it yet to-day 
prevalent throughout Protestant Christendom, when 
all things in the Church are judged only and directly 
by the Word of God pure and simple, as the supreme 



32 Reformation of the Nineteenth Century 

arbiter. But to this end the Church must at last 
come. When it will reach this goal we cannot say. 
The times, however, give conspicuous tokens that 
the mind and heart of Evangelical Christendom are 
turning more and more in this direction; and the 
current will become stronger and stronger and more 
manifest as time advances. Even the Church of 
Rome is not altogether dead to this mighty 
influence. 



III. 

AN IMPORTANT RULE ADOPTED. 

Unjust as Thomas Campbell felt the censure of 
the Synod to be, yet so strong was his love of peace 
and his desire to continue to live and labor with his 
brethren, that he submitted to it; on the condition, 
however, expressed in a written form to this 
tribunal, "that his submission should be understood 
to mean no more, on his part, than an act of defer- 
ence to the judgment of the court; that by so doing 
he might not give offense to his brethren by mani- 
festing a refractory spirit." This act on the part of 
Thomas Campbell should be well noted, as revealing 
the temper of the man which so well fitted him to 
be a true reformer, i. e., one not hasty, as an eager 
iconoclast, to overthrow the old and set up the new 
— a bad quality in religious, or any sort of reform — 
but wise, prudent, long-suffering, acting only on 
necessity and after maturest deliberation. Such 
men all great reformers have been. 

He now thought that he would be allowed to con- 
tinue his labors undisturbed among his ministerial 
brethren and in good-fellowship with the Church. 
This excellent man, as all his life revealed, was of 
an unsuspecting, generous disposition; this, as his- 
tory proves, is generally the quality of great souls. 
To his deep sorrow he soon learned that the secta- 
rian bitterness of the men who had arraigned him 

3 (33} 



34 Refonnation of the Nineteenth Ce^ttury 

before the courts of the Church had not only not 
ceased, but was becoming intenser. Kre long he 
was forced to the conclusion that he could no longer 
continue a minister of the Gospel in the Seceder 
Church. It was a very sore trial to him. But the 
hand of the Lord was "leading him in a way he 
knew not." As a heroic man of God, he resolved 
no longer to remain with a people who held their 
"Testimony" in higher esteem than the Word of 
God. He, therefore, presented to the Synod a 
formal renunciation of their control, and informed 
them that he now gave up "all ministerial connec- 
tion" with it, and held himself henceforth "utterly 
unaffected by its authority." That this final deci- 
sive step caused him much grief, we cannot for a 
moment doubt; but it is certain, also, that the 
freedom which it gave him, as a servant of God, 
must have been to him a genuine joy and the 
impartation of a strength of soul he never knew 
before. 

His ministerial labors suffered no relaxation. He 
had gained a wide and strong influence in the region 
of his home in Washington county. No meeting- 
house was at his command; but he held his assem- 
blies, after the pioneer fashion, in private dwellings, 
barns, schoolhouses, and under the green trees. 
Large numbers waited on his ministry. But he was 
a man of wisdom and order, and desired to labor for 
permanent results. He soon began to feel that the 
present form of his ministry, however blessed, could 
not bring forth the enduring results needed to build 
up the Church of God which the preacher of the 



Introductory Period 35 

Gospel should strive for. He therefore determined 
to adopt what he believed to be the best course to 
promote the interests of his Master's cause. He saw 
that many of his hearers sincerely, some ardently, 
had accepted the principles he was advocating, and 
were constant in attendance on. his ministry. He 
consequently proposed to them that they meet 
together and consult on the best method to give 
more order, definiteness and permanency to their 
efforts. This met with ready and general approba- 
tion. There were among his hearers a number of 
strong-minded and pious men and women, admirable 
material for action in such a crisis; most of these I 
came to know well in after years. 

The meeting was a very solemn occasion for all 
interested in the movement. Mr. Campbell, after 
the opening exercises, which with him were always 
peculiarly impressive, gave a clear exposition of the 
situation and of the objects of the present assem- 
bling. The events that had led to the calling of 
this meeting, well understood by all, had made a 
deep impression upon them. They sympathized 
thoroughly with the man who stood before them and 
who was leading them. While one spirit moved all 
present — the desire to see a good work inaugurated 
in behalf of Christian union, of freedom from human 
traditions, and of the Bible as the only rule of faith 
and practice in the Church — all had not yet arrived 
at equally clear views and fixed convictions on these 
great points. 

Thomas Campbell made a strong argument against 
sectarian divisions and in behalf of Christian union 



36 Reformation of the -Nineteenth Century 

on the Bible as the only infallible standard of 
doctrine and practice, to the rejection of all human 
traditions. He concluded by urging with great 
earnestness the adoption of these principles as the 
rule of their future action and life as a Christian 
association. ''That rule, my highly respected 
hearers," he said, "is this: Where the Scriptures 
speak, we speak; where the Scriptures are silent, 
we are silent." 

This declaration must have struck those present 
as novel and as momentous in its sweeping effect 
on the customs of the Church; it was brief and clear 
as an aphorism, in thought and form a bold maxim, 
suited to become the watchcry of religious reform; 
it has been so to us. It was so just that no one of 
the audience, prepared as they were by previous 
teaching, could for a moment hesitate to accept it 
as right. These people could not fail at once to see 
the effect of this law on some of the most familiar 
and cherished practices of the Church, especially of 
the denominations to which most of them belonged 
— Presbyterians, Seceders and Independents. 

The great majority of the audience were ready, 
unhesitatingly, to give a hearty assent to this great 
declaration. But where will it lead us? was the 
troublous question with some. 

When the speaker had concluded, opportunity 
was given for a free expression of views. There 
were a number of Scotchmen and Irishmen in the 
assembly, shrewd men who could readily see the 
bearing of the rule Mr. Campbell had proposed. 
The company were almost all, if not all, pedo- 



Introduciory Period 37 

baptists. Andrew Munro, a Scotch Seceder, and a 
man of intelligence, arose and said: "Mr. Camp- 
bell, if we adopt that as a basis, then there is an end 
of infant baptism/' It can easily be imagined what 
an effect this remark had upon the audience; for 
pedo-baptism is the most cherished institution of 
the old Protestant churches. "Of course," answered 
Thomas Campbell, "if infant baptism be not found 
in the Scriptures, we can have nothing to do with 
it." This bold declaration, revealing the spirit of 
this brave man, and foreshadowing already the 
ground in regard to the institution which was in 
such a distinguished way to characterize the reform- 
ation Thomas Campbell was now unconsciously 
inaugurating, came like a new revelation to the 
minds of the audience. Thomas Acheson, one of 
the preacher's warmest friends, in an excited man- 
ner arose and said, "I hope I may never see the day 
when my heart will renounce the blessed saying of 
the Scripture, 'Suffer little children to come unto 
me, and forbid them not, for of such is the kingdom 
of God.' " He burst into tears and was about to 
leave the room, when James Foster, a bold Irish 
Independent, well- versed in the Scriptures, and 
whom in later years I learned to know^ very well, 
called out, "Mr. Acheson, I would remark that in 
the Scripture you have quoted there is no reference 
whatever to baptism." 

This new turn of things, so unexpected to these 
pedo-baptists — we do not know that a single Baptist 
was present; there were but few in that region — did 
not lessen their confidence in the position they had 



38 Reformation of the Nineteenth Century 

taken, or in the man who was leading them onward. 
At the end of the conference, the great principle 
Mr. Campbell had announced was adopted without , 
any real opposition. It would have been difficult 
for these Protestants to object to a profession so 
loyal to God and so impregnably founded in the 
Holy Scripture. 

The principle, so universal in its application, and 
its controlling authority in all things that concern 
the faith and practice of the Christian Church, that 
"Where the Scriptures speak we speak, where it is 
silent we are silent," became henceforth the watch- 
word and directive law of action in the reformation 
these people were inaugurating. Some of those 
who first stood by Thomas Campbell, when they 
saw more clearly the inevitable logical result of the 
great principle now adopted, one after another broke 
off all connection with these reformers. 

The primary object proclaimed by Thomas Camp- 
bell, viz., the promotion of Christian union on the 
Bible alone, was the guiding star of this new move- 
ment. The company of people who had now 
heartily entered into it soon began to feel that, in 
order to carry out with successful effect their pur- 
pose, they must organize themselves into a well- 
ordered permanent association. At a meeting held 
on the headwaters of Buffalo Creek, on the 17th of 
August, 1809, it was decided that they would 
formally unite themselves into a regular body, under 
the name of "The Christian Association of Wash- 
ington" — the place being in Washington county. 
This act and this date may be regarded as the actual 



Introductory Period 39 

beginning of our reformation in an organized form. 

It was now thought proper to erect a meeting- 
house for the regular assembling of the association. 
The neighbors, as was customary in those times, all 
moved by good will for the excellent man and his 
purposes, as well as for his associates, assembled and 
erected a log building, about three miles from Mount 
Pleasant, in Washington county, that could serve 
for a meeting-house and also for a schoolhouse. 
So fittingly simple was the first church-building 
reared in the interest of the reformatory effort in 
behalf of the restoration of apostolic Christianity, by 
the voluntary co-operation of a rural people. No 
ecclesiastical aspirations, no sectarian ambition, no 
party purposes or name, entered into the erection of 
this humble edifice. The name and cause of Christ 
alone prompted and sanctified the act of these honest 
souls. May it ever be so with every house erected 
for the worship and preaching of the people who 
strive to restore among men the ancient gospel and 
order of things! 

Nearby, in the house of Mr. Welch, a worthy farm- 
er who was a friend of the association, Mr. Campbell 
had his hospitable home. Here he had a little room 
upstairs, where he spent his leisure time in quiet 
study, for he was a scholarly, studious man; and in 
the extraordinary circumstances in which he now 
found himself, he felt that he needed these days of 
undisturbed retirement, to prepare himself tomeet, 
in wisdom and the fear of God, the crisis through 
which he and those united with him were passing. 

It had been decided that a declaration should be 



40 Refofmation of the Nmeteenth Century 

made to the public, setting forth clearly and fully 
the character and purposes of the association. In 
the "prophet's chamber," at Mr. Welch's house, 
Thomas Campbell now wrote the Declaration and 
Address^ which became so famous in the early his- 
tory of our reformation. When he had finished it 
he laid it before a special meeting of the association, 
by which it was unanimously approved and ordered 
to be published, September 7, 1809. 

It is impossible, with the limited space necessarily 
allowed to these chapters, to give more than the 
briefest outline of this remarkable document. This 
will be done in the next chapter. 



IV. 

DECLARATION AND ADDRESS. 

The Declaration and Address is, in its substance 
and spirit, as well as in its vigorous and scholarly- 
style, the most notable historical document of the 
initiatory period of our reformatory movement. It 
is worthy of the perpetual remembrance and diligent 
study of our people. It, and the Appeal to the 
Synod, prove to us that this great enterprise to 
restore in spirit and form, in doctrine and life, apos- 
tolic Christianity, was conceived and projected in its 
principles by Thomas Campbell, in remarkable com- 
pleteness and clearness, before his son Alexander had 
yet reached the shores of this Western world. 

It is proper, therefore, that the essential principles 
set forth in the Declaration and Address should be 
here noted. 

The admirable introduction setting forth and de- 
ploring the existing distracted state of the Church, 
concludes with these words: 

"Our desire, therefore, for ourselves and our 
brethren would be, that, rejecting human opin- 
ions and the inventions of men as of any authority, 
or as having any place in the Church of God, 
we might forever cease from further contentions 
about such things, returning to and holding 
fast by the original standard, taking the Divine 
Word alone for our rule, the Holy Spirit for 

(41) 



42 Reformatio7i of the Nineteenth Century 

our teacher and guide to lead us into all truth, and 
Christ alone, as exhibited in the Word, for our sal- 
vation; and that by so doing we may be at peace 
among ourselves, follow peace with all men and 
holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord. 
Impressed with these sentiments we have resolved as 
follows: * 

' ' . . . That we form ourselves into a religious 
association under the denomination of The Christian 
Association of Washington^ for the sole purpose of 
promoting simple evangelical Christianity, free from 
all mixture of human opinions and inventions of 
men. 

" . . . That this Society by no means consid- 
ers itself a Church, nor does it at all assume to itself 
the powers peculiar to such a society." But we unite 
"merely as voluntary advocates of Church reforma- 
tion, and as possessing the powers common to all in- 
dividuals who may please to associate, in a peaceful 
and orderly manner, for any lawful purpose — namely 
the disposal of their time, counsel and property as 
they may see cause." 

It is evident from these resolutions that this peo- 
ple did not propose to organize a new ecclesiastical 
body; their effort was altogether tentative; they did 
not foresee the end to which their action would 
finally lead. 

Thus far this movement had progressed when 
Alexander Campbell arrived with the family from 
Ireland, September 29, 1809. 



* Our limits allow us to cite only the leading parts of these 
resolutions. 



Introductory Period 43 

ALEXANDER CAMPBELL JOINS HIS FATHER IN HIS 
REFORMATORY EFFORT. 

Thomas Campbell, after the reunion of the family 
in the New World, at once, as a matter of the first 
concern with him, gave a full detail of the events 
already related to his son Alexander, and desiied 
especially that he should read and consider the Dec- 
laration and Address which was now in the hands of 
the printer. This Alexander did; and he at once 
heartily approved of his father's course, and of the 
principles advocated by him. A new world of 
thought and life was opened to him. His experi- 
ence in Ireland and Scotland had well prepared him 
for this; the spirit of the reformer was already in 
him. The mighty purpose of a thorough religious 
reformation, such as was outlined in his father's de- 
fense before the Synod and in the Address, now 
took complete possession of his soul. From that day 
forth the son and the father — these two remarkable 
men — were one in the work to which God had so sig- 
nally called them. The Son was needed to execute, 
with his extraordinary power of mind and spirit, the 
enterprise inaugurated in great wisdom by the father. 
No one could have been more competent to under- 
stand his father and so prompt to sympathize and 
co-operate with him. 

Alexander Campbell at once, although in a very 
unpretending way, began by voice and pen to advo- 
cate the proposed religious reform. He felt, and so 
declared, that this was to be the mission of his life. 

A lawyer of Pittsburgh, Mr. Mountain, who had 



44 Reformation of the Nineteenth Century 

become acquainted with him, recognizing his un- 
usual ability, proposed to him to take charge of an 
academ}' in that city with a salary of $i,ooo — a 
large sum for that day. He declined the offer, stat- 
ing that he felt it his duty from henceforth to give 
his entire life, under God, to the furtherance of the 
reformation his father had begun. This act becomes 
the more significant with this young man, when it is 
understood that the family was poor, and that he as 
the oldest son was now, as he had been in Ireland, 
next to the father its mainstay. 

Thomas Campbell, delighted with his son's noble 
determination, now urged him, in order that he 
might prepare himself well for the great work before 
him, ''to free himself from all secular concern; to 
retire to his chamber, to take up the Divine Book 
and make it the subject of his study for at least six 
months." Such facts as these in the lives of these 
two men, must not be forgotten. They show the 
spirit of wisdom, of piety and devotion to divine 
truth that impelled and directed the originators of 
our reformation. 

From this time forth father and son gave them- 
selves with o^reat zeal to the cause which thev had 
espoused. They preached in private houses, in 
schoolhouses, in barns, under the green trees — wher- 
ever a door was opened to them — and with power. 

The youthful Alexander soon attracted public 
attention by his unusual ability as a speaker. The 
first year he preached one hundred and six sermons. 
His first discourse was delivered July 15, 1810. 

The field of the ministry of the Campbells was at 



Introductoiy Period 45 

this time still chiefly Washington county, Pennsyl- 
vania; but it extended also to the neighboring 
regions of Pennsylvania, to Western Virginia and 
Ohio. 

BRUSH RUN MEETING HOUSE BUILT. 

Ere long the Christian Association began to feel 
the need of a regular place of meeting of their own. 
They selected a site on Brush Run near its junction 
with Buffalo Creek. Before the house was erected 
a meeting was held near the ground, September 16, 
1810, and from a stand under a wide-spreading tree, 
Alexander, at the request of the Association, deliv- 
ered a discourse. The text, chosen with reference 
to the occasion, was the seventh verse of the eighth 
chapter of Job, "Though thy beginning was small, 
thy latter end should greatly increase." This be- 
ginning was indeed small; the Brush Run congre- 
gation numbered only about thirty members. The 
text and the sermon, however, revealed the strong 
faith of these heroic men in their enterprise, which 
they believed was of God; they were a prophecy 
that has been wonderfully fulfilled. The little val- 
iant company under the green tree on the banks of 
Brush Run has now become a mighty host of more 
than a million, still holding fast to the same great 
purposes and the same convictions which were pro- 
claimed on that day by the ardent young reformer. 

Alexander Campbell's influence as a preacher and 
also as a writer was increasing every day, even with 
those who did not sympathize with the cause he was 



46 Reformation of the Nineteeiith Ce^iticry 

pleading. Men could not but lend a willing and 
gratified ear to a preacher of such power. They 
were forced to honor his bold plea for Christian 
union, for the Bible alone as against human creeds, 
and for the liberation of the souls of men from the 
bondage of "the traditions of men." And his pow- 
erful method of argument, his wonderful familiarity 
with the Scriptures, the freedom of his style from 
theological jargon, his superior erudition, together 
with his masterly use of the English tongue, gave 
him such dominion as a preacher over the minds of 
men as no other man in the pulpit could share with 
him in that region and at that day. 

Thomas Campbell also was a preacher of more 
than ordinary power. His high intellectual endow- 
ments, well cultivated by a liberal, ripe scholarship 
and extensive readings; above all his large knowl- 
edge of the Holy Scriptures, together with the 
Scotch-Irish spirit which, especially when he was 
wrought up by his theme, inspired him with great 
force of thought and speech — gave him a mastery in 
the pulpit very rare among the preachers in the 
western part of our country in the early years of this 
century. 

From what has just been stated it might be sup- 
posed that many adherents were w^on in that day by 
the Campbells to their cause. But such was not the 
case. The region in which they began their work 
was but little responsive to their reformatory plea. 
Nowhere west of the Alleghenies, perhaps, could a 
more religiously conser\^ative population be found 
than that in the extreme southwestern corner of 



Introductoiy Period 47 

Pennsylvania; and the adjoining regions of Virginia 
and Ohio were settled by the same class of people. It 
was a thoroughly Presbyterian population, firmly 
fixed in its religious convictions and habits. Their 
opposition to this community of reformers became 
still more intensified when these had abandoned 
infant baptism. 

It was not in that part of our country that our 
reformatory plea received its first strong impulse of 
success. To this day our cause is not very popular 
there. The same is true of the Baptists; they were 
very weak in that region then, and are not strong 
there now. The first wide door was opened to this 
reformatory effort when the Campbells, with the 
small body of their adherents, united with the Bap- 
tists. This will be related in the succeeding 
chapter. 

. Yet the good cause gradually won converts, and 
these were men and women — not a few of the lat- 
ter — of intelligence, of serious religious temper and 
well versed in the Word of God, who were gained by 
the force of the plea. Neither of the Campbells was 
ever a " proselyter," as is well known. Their 
strength lay in the "strong reasons" which they 
offered to the understanding and the conscience. 

Another important fact deserves to be stated here. 
Although the Campbells were now acting under the 
powerful inspiration of the extraordinary religious 
reform to which they had so wholly given them- 
selves, and which brought them into an even more 
intensified conflict with the religious world around 
them, yet they did not, as would have been very 



48 Reformation of the Nineteenth Century 

natural, devote themselves in their preaching- 
entirely to the questions of controversy which this 
contest for truth involved. Certainly they grew 
daily stronger in this inevitable good warfare. But 
their fitness for the great mission of reformers was 
signally revealed by the constant attention which 
they gave in their teaching to the practical side of 
Christian doctrine and life. They could not be men 
of one idea, even so great a one as that of the 
mighty reform which they were pleading. With 
them piety towards God and holiness of life were 
always the chief matters of moment in the pulpit 
and in their writings. 

OVERTURE FOR UNION WITH THE PRESBYTERIANS. 

Thomas Campbell could not brook the thought of 
forming another religious party; and yet the Chris- 
tian Association fast was tending in that direction. 
He was, therefore, readily inclined to accept the 
suggestion of some liberal-minded Presbyterian min- 
isters, who highly esteemed him, to make a proposal 
to the Pittsburgh Synod to be received by them, 
with his brethren, "into ministerial and Christian 
fellowship." Alexander did not agree with his 
father in the wisdom of this step, and looked for no 
good results from it. 

The Synod, meeting at Washington, in October, 
1810, heard the application from Thomas Campbell 
personally; they unanimously rejected it. At ]\lr. 
Campbell's request the Synod gave as its reasons, 
among other minor things, "i. That he had ex- 



Introductory Period 49 

pressed his belief that there are some opinions in 
the Confession of Faith not founded in the Bible, 
but had avoided designating them; 2. That he had 
declared infant baptism unauthorized by the Scrip- 
ture; that it was a matter of indifference, while he 
still was practicing it; 3. Because he opposed 
creeds and confessions as injurious to the interests of 
religion, and countenanced his son in preaching 
without any regular authority." The Synod at the 
same time expressed the highest regard for the 
character of the applicant. 

This decision was a wise one. The Synod could 
not grant the liberty these reformers - demanded. 
Indeed, Thomas Campbell did not offer to unite 
with the Synod as a Presbyterian; he could not 
do this. 

The final separation of the Christian Association 
from all pedobaptist denominational alliance was 
inevitable, a logical necessity. From this hour 
forth the tendency of these reformers was in a 
straight line, unobstructed and rapid, towards apos- 
tolic Christianity. 



V. 

CAMPBELL'S CONNECTION WITH THE BAPTISTS. 



The story of the early years of our effort to restore 
apostolic Christianity — the years which constituted its 
formative period — deserves for many reasons to be 
studied anew, and diligently and profoundly, by the 
present generation of our people, in order that those 
into whose hands, under God, the destiny for the 
present and the future of this great cause is commit- 
ted, may well understand what were its motives and 
character; and that so they may keep it true to its 
exalted aim. They will thus gather renewed, strong 
and steadfast confidence in it, and be filled with the 
lofty inspiration which its purpose, its character and 
splendid achievements should awaken in the hearts 
of the true men and women who to-day are its 
legitimate inheritors and representatives. 

I have been asked to set forth, within the limits of 
a single paper, the history, in its salient points, of 
the early relations of the Campbells to the Baptists. 

The connection of the Campbells, father and son, 
especially that of the latter, with the Baptists, in the 
beginning of their activity as reformers, had a very 
important influence on the tendency and the devel- 
opment of the reformation which they advocated. 

This chapter of our historv furnishes lessons of great 

(50) 



Introductory Period 51 

value to us as standard-bearers of the cause to which 
they devoted their lives. 

QUESTION OF BAPTISM. 

Neither Thomas Campbell nor his son Alexander, 
when they first conceived the idea of the union of 
all Christians on the foundation of the New Testa- 
ment alone, regarded the question of baptism as of 
any special moment in this great controversy. As 
many do to-day, they believed that such a union 
could be accomplished and could exist without dis- 
turbing the differences of belief and practice relative 
to this ordinance. The religious agitators, such as 
Walker and others, with whom Alexander Campbell 
in his youth had come in contact in Ireland and 
Scotland, and who exercised no little influence on 
his mind, had never touched in any reformatory 
way the baptismal controversy. Indeed, he had 
had, thus far, but a very limited personal acquaint- 
ance with the Baptists. In a sermon on the com- 
mission, delivered by him in February, 1810, and 
repeated in May and June, 181 1, he said: "iVs I am 
sure it is unscriptural to make this matter a term 
of communion, / let it slip. I wish to think and let 
think on these matters." His father was in entire 
accord with him in this respect. 

But when these earnest reformers — the son always 
in the lead — proceeded to a strict application of the 
rule already adopted by them, viz., that everything 
in the doctrine and practice of the church should be 
tested by the Holy Scriptures as the supreme and 



52 Reformation of the Nineteenth Centnry 

final tribunal of decision, they soon found that bap- 
tism was, especially now, a question of great mo- 
ment, and had to be regarded in a real effort to re- 
store primitive Christianity. 

We need not go into the detailed history of how 
the Campbells came to this conclusion. Suffice it to 
say that they soon came to see that infant baptism 
and sprinkling and pouring were wholly unknown to 
the New Testament; that only believing penitents 
were proper scriptural subjects, and that immersion 
was the one true meaning of baptism and the only 
practice of the primitive church. This decided the 
matter with these men of supreme loyalty to the 
Bible. 

The discovery of true apostolic baptism, as to its 
form and subject, at once led the reformers to the 
further question of its scriptural object. This, too, 
had been greatly darkened by the traditions of the 
churches, in practice and preaching, even more than 
in the creeds. 

As soon as the Campbells and their associates had 
reached a correct conclusion on baptism, in prompt 
obedience to the divine law they were baptized in 
the primitive, scriptural way, and on a- simple pro- 
fession of their faith in Christ. Elder Mathias Luce^ 
the Baptist preacher to whom application was made 
to administer the ordinance, at first hesitated because 
it was not according to Baptist usage to baptize can- 
didates without a previous satisfactory "experi- 
ence;" but finally he yielded, believing that the 
proper conditions were present. The Campbells, 
and others with them, were immersed by Elder 



Introductory Period 53 

Luce in June, 181 2. These reformers, under such 
brave leaders, from the very first were boldly deter- 
mined on a return in all things to the apostolic 
order, to the rejection of all unscriptural traditions, 
however reasonable and cherished. God be thanked 
for this! 

THE FIRST CHURCH. 

The little Brush Run Church now in a manner 
stood alone. The Campbells felt that this was not 
in harmony with their aims. They did not wish to 
appear as establishing a new religious party. For 
this reason, and because of strong solicitations from 
Baptists, they were received into the association 
nearest them; not, however, without objections on 
the part of a few preachers, because this little con- 
gregation insisted on being received on the simplest 
scriptural conditions, without consenting to any 
creed beyond the Bible. The Philadelphia Confes- 
sion of Faith was then the standard among the 
Baptists. 

This connection with the Baptists became eventful 
with these reformers. It continued some fifteen 
years or more, a good part of the time more formal 
than real. No little opposition was manifested from 
the very first against A. Campbell by some Baptist 
preachers, doubtless to a good degree from jealousy 
of his superior talents and influence, but mainly, we 
must believe, because of wide doctrinal differences, 
to be stated hereafter in this paper. 

It remains to consider, as briefly as possible, the 
effect on the history of the Reformation of this 



54 Reformation of the Nineteenth Century 

association of the reformers with the Baptists. 

Up to the time when this union took place the 
range of the influence of the Campbells and their 
associates was limited. The alliance with the Bap- 
tists at once gave to them an open door to large 
communities of churches and people. It was among 
the Baptists that the first strong gains of adherents 
were made, and a broad and firm foundation was 
laid for the cause which A. Campbell was pleading 
with such wonderful power and devotion. 

The Baptists were naturally more ready to listen 
to the argument for a return to the New Testament 
order of things than any other Protestants, because 
they had for centuries been the very people who had 
bravely borne aloft the banner of apostolic Chris- 
tianity against the corruptions of the church in 
doctrine, and life. It was they who had come back 
to the great doctrine of a converted church by means 
of the baptism of penitent believers only, against 
pedobaptist Christendom — which meant the whole 
Christian world. And it was they who had restored 
immersion as the true scriptural form of the ordi- 
nance. We know what a heroic history this had 
been for centuries, glorious with martyrdom in every 
Christian land where these apostles of primitive 
Christianity appeared. It cannot pass our observa- 
tion and appreciation that it is the union of our 
fathers with these people — providential and inevita- 
ble, a logical fact, we may say — that gave the first 
strong impulse to our cause, and to which, beyond 
all question, so much of its wonderful success must 
be attributed. 



Introductory Period ' 55 

A WIDER FIELD. 

As soon as A. Campbell espoused the great argu- 
ment of believers' immersion as the only true bap- 
tism, and with the learning and the wonderful power 
of mind and spirit he revealed, so unusual then in 
the field of his activity, thousands' of Baptists were 
won by him to the cause to the advocacy of which 
he had devoted his life. 

Very soon the baptismal question came to the 
front as a logical necessity; and it must stand there 
as long as pedobaptism dominates in Christendom. 
Mr. Campbell, in the beginning of his debate with 
McCalla in 1823, called baptism "the most impor- 
tant institution of the Lord of Glory;" to this view 
he had come. 

The Baptists, especially in the West", had now 
found in this ardent reformer an advocate of their 
cause against prevailing pedobaptism such as they 
had never had before. His debates wuth Mr. Walker 
in Eastern Ohio, in 1820, and with McCalla in Ken- 
tucky, in 1823, served to increase their admiration 
of his power as their great champion. 

The sphere of this new and really novel campaign 
for a strict return to New Testament Christianity, 
with apostolic baptism as one of its most attractive 
features, extended at once, by reason of this alliance 
with the Baptists, over the populous region of 
Eastern Ohio, Western Pennsylvania and North- 
western Virginia along the Ohio River, constituting 
together an extensive territory, inhabited by a 
deeply religious and wide-awake people. In the 



56 Rejormation of the NineteentJi Century 

West, in an extraordinary manner, the power of this 
great plea was felt in parts of central and the 
extreme southwestern portion of Ohio, especially in 
Cincinnati. Thence it crossed the Ohio River into 
Kentucky, and found ready acceptance and develop- 
ment in that splendid territory of which Lexington 
is the center, in Louisville, in Mason county, and in 
other parts of the state. 

In the regions and localities which have been 
named the strong foundations of the success and 
growth of the cause of our Reformation were laid; 
here it won its first great victories. What wx have 
since witnessed elsewhere of progress and triumphs 
has been largely the further expansion out from 
these original centers of our power. We must not 
fail to add here, also. Eastern Virginia, where, at 
an early date, in a very direct manner through the 
Campbells personally, the new and welcome message . 
of a restoration of primitive Christianity was 
preached, and with much success. 

In all these fruitful fields the presence of the Bap- 
tists was tbe occasion and opportunity for the 
reformer; to them he came, with them w^as the 
sphere of his efforts and his influence. It is a most 
interesting study to trace the development .of this 
reform through the lines of Baptist churches and 
people. Lack of space forbids our undertaking this 
inviting task here. 

In Ohio the entire Mahoning Association passed 
over bodily into the reformatory current, and with 
extraordinary enthusiasm. This Association ex- 
tended from the Ohio River, taking Wellsburg and 



Introductory Period 57 

Steubenville as a point of departure, to the extreme 
northern part of the state. The Stillwater Associa- 
tion, also in Ohio, embracing Harrison, Belmont 
and Guernsey counties as its chief territory, followed 
in the wake of Mahoning. Large numbers of the 
Baptists in this broad and important region were 
won to the new cause. In many instances they 
took with them the meeting-houses. While the 
congregations abandoned the denominational name, 
they were still known in popular speech as Baptist 
churches. As examples may be mentioned the 
church at Wellsburg, Va., which in 1850, when I 
preached there, was often yet called "the Baptist 
Church." So the congregation in Cincinnati, then 
meeting at the corner of Walnut and Eighth Streets, 
our oldest church in that city, was in 1856, when I 
served it, still known in the court records as a Bap- 
tist Church. The congregations at Somerset, Pa., 
at New Lisbon, Warren, Wilmington, Dayton, Ohio, 
were organized originally as Baptists. 

REASON FOR BAPTIST OPPOSITION. 

With this movement among the Baptists towards 
the reformers came a large number of their 
preachers; indeed, these were as a rule the leaders. 
The first strong body of preachers that gathered 
around A. Campbell was largely composed of these 
"Reformed Baptists," as they were called. Many 
names familiar to the older men yet living among us 
were of this early pioneer class of warriors, such as 
Walter Scott, Adamson Bentley, the Nestor of 



58 Reformation of the Ninetee7tth Century 

Eastern Ohio; D. S. Burnet and James Challen, of 
Southwestern Ohio; T. M. Henley, R. L. Coleman, 
James Goss, of Virginia, and a "gloriouS company" 
of imperial men like John Smith, J. T. Johnson and 
P. S. Fall, of Kentucky. It was my good fortune 
to be well acquainted with almost all of these admir- 
able men and the churches they brought with them. 
The entire field of Eastern Ohio, Western Pennsyl- 
vania and Northwestern Virginia is familiar to me. 
Looking at our past history, it is difficult to say 
what would have been the fortunes of A. Campbell's 
reformatory enterprise during its first two or three 
decades if it had not found an admirably propitious 
field among the Baptists. It certainly would not 
have made the remarkable progress which signalized 
its early history. This is a fact we must not forget. 
The influence of our connection with the Baptists on 
the entire history of the Reformation, is a subject 
worthy of our most appreciative study. In this 
respect we owe very much to the Baptists, in spite 
of the sad fact that they often became our most 
determined opponents. Let us not be surprised that 
the chiefs of this great people for many years did 
not cherish a very fraternal affection for us. These 
men remained sincere Baptists. Those of their 
number who lived in the East and who were least 
acquainted with us were, more than their brethren 
in the West, harsh in their judgment of us. They 
had a reason for this quite sufficient for them. Men 
like Conant, of New York, and Dowling, of Phila- 
delphia, used to say, "We cannot forget how these 
^reformers' captured our churches in the West, 



Introditctory Period 59 

meeting-houses and all, and numbers of our 
preachers." Looking at the matter through their 
eyes we will not wonder at this feeling on their part 
nor pass a harsh judgment against them. 

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN CAMPBELL AND BAPTISTS. 

The connection between the reformers and the 
Baptists could not continue. A. Campbell never 
was a Calvinist, and the Baptists were strong Cal- 
vinists. His views on the relation of the two 
covenants they regarded as most unsound. In the 
matter of spiritual influence, in conversion espec- 
ially, the two parties were far apart. In the ques- 
tions of the prerequisites to baptism and of its 
object, the reformers passed away from Baptist 
ground. The Baptists were strict Trinitarians; and 
because A. Campbell rejected the theological and 
scholastic terminology on this important point of 
Christian doctrine, and furthermore, because men 
had come among us who held to a sort of semi- 
Unitarian principles, the Baptists, especially those 
in the East, where the reformers were but little 
known, and whose close proximity to Eastern 
Unitarianism brought them to understand well its 
true character and its evil influence, looked for these 
reasons with suspicion upon us as favoring this 
"heresy." And yet, none were more decided in 
their rejection of Unitarianism than the Campbells, 
Walter Scott, and their associates generally in Ohio, 
Pennsylvania and Virginia, and the majority, I 
think, of them also in Kentucky. The Godhood of 



6o Refoniiation of the Nineteenth Century 

Jesus was witli these men a matter of supreme 
importance in the doctrine of Christ. Pinally, the 
reformers all very soon rejected the Philadelphia 
Confession of Faith, primarily because they refused 
consent to any human formula of doctrine, and also 
because some of this confession they did not believe. 

For all these reasons, therefore, it is evident that 
a real and lasting union between the Baptists and 
the reformers was impossible. 

A. Campbell, as already stated in the beginning 
of this article, had at first no very exalted opinion of 
the Baptists of that day, because of the amount of 
bigotry and narrowness he witnessed among them. 
They were also, as he saw them, generally very 
illiterate, the preachers as well as the people. It is 
not impossible, too, that he may have brought with 
him from Ireland and Scotland some of the pre- 
judice against the Baptists prevailing in the British 
Islands. 

But it is perfectly evident, that on a better 
acquaintance with this people he learned to have a 
high regard for them. Dr. Richardson in his Life 
of A. Campbell (Vol. II., page 103), says: "During 
his tour [in Kentucky in September, 1824], which 
occupied nearl}^ three months, he visited a large 
portion of the state, addressing everywhere large 
audiences, and greatly extending his influence and 
acquaintance with the Baptists. The notions he 
had entertained concerning them as a people in the 
early part of his ministry had been greatly changed 
by his intercourse with them, so that he learned to 
esteem them verv hio^hlv and to regfard them as 



Introductory Period 6i 

much nearer the primitive pattern than other relig- 
ious denominations. He regarded their conceptions 
of the Church of Christ as essentially correct, and 
thought it would not be difficult to eliminate from 
the Baptist churches such erroneous theories and 
usages as had gained admission." Every one inti- 
mately familiar with Mr. Campbell knows this to be 
true. 

To confirm the above statement of Dr. Richard- 
son, I add here an expression from A. Campbell's 
lips, bulf a few days before he died. 

CAMPBELL'S OPINION OF BAPTISTS. 

In the last week of February, 1866, a meeting 
was arranged at Pittsburgh between prominent 
members of a Baptist church, the preacher included, 
and a number of our people, to consider our relation 
doctrinally to each other. It fell to me to draw up 
the points to be considered and to lead in the dis- 
cussion. This paper, with the minutes of this 
meeting, is yet in my possession. I held that it 
was wisest first chiefly to note the points in which 
we agreed. It was a very delightful and profitable 
conference. 

As soon as I returned to Bethany I went to j\Ir. 
Campbell. He was alone in his bedroom, taking 
his frugal evening meal; he was too unwell to meet 
the family at the table. When he had heard the 
good report I brought of the Pittsburgh Conference, 
he \\^s deeply moved; tears were in his eyes. He 
then said: ''I have always regretted that the Bap- 



62 Reformatioji of the Nineteenth Century 

lists and we had to part; it ought not to have been 
so. I had hoped that we and that great people 
could have stood together for the advocacy of apos- 
tolic Christianity. They are worthy of such a 
mission." 

This was on Friday evening. On Sunday the 
fatal attack fell upon him, and in a few days he 
died. I value this almost dying testimony of the 
illustrious reformer to his high esteem of the Bap- 
tists. It came from the depth of his heart, as the 
mature fruit of a long and rich experience, and is 
worthy of record, and of appreciation by us. 



VI. 



ALEXANDER CAMPBELL AND HIS CO-LABORERS — THE 
TWO CAMPBELLS. 

For a number of years after the Campbells had 
entered upon their advocacy of a restoration of 
primitive Christianity, no man of note had been 
publicly won to their cause. Their associates were 
humble, private men-^-some of them, however, of a 
high order of mind. I knew them well in their 
advanced years. Others, preachers, who looked 
with attention and favor on their novel but attract- 
ive plea, went as yet no further. The first man of 
real power who united fully with the Campbells, 
and who was worthy to rank with them, was Walter 
Scott. For years these three valiant heroes led the 
cause. Such was the judgment of A. Campbell 
himself. Nearly twenty years after he had first met 
Scott, he thus writes to him: 

"We were associated in the days of weakness, 
infancy and imbecility, and tried in the vale of 
adversity, while as yet there was but a handful. 
My father, yourself and myself were the only three 
spirits that could (and providentially we were the 
only persons thrown together that were capable of 
forming any general or comprehensive views of 
things spiritual or ecclesiastic) co-operate in a great 
work or enterprise. The Lord greatly blessed our 
A^ery imperfect and feeble beginnings." 

(63) 



64 Reformation of the Nineteenth Century 

There is something singularly striking in the 
order in which these three men appear in the his- 
torical development of the reform in which they 
were united; it is natural, logical, providential. 
Let us study this remarkable fact in the character 
and role of each one of them, and in the order in 
which they appear on the stage of the historical 
progress of their enterprise. 

The present paper will be devoted to Thomas and 
Alexander Campbell; the succeeding one to Walter 
Scott and Dr. R. Richardson. The latter, the 
youngest of the four, a convert of Walter Scott, was 
from an early date and in a very intimate way for 
many years a colaborer of A. Campbell. These four 
historic characters belong together in our history. 
They constitute distinctively the group of "A. 
Campbell and his Colaborers." 

THOMAS CAMPBELL. 

The inceptive thought and first purpose of this 
extraordinary movement had their origin with 
Thomas Campbell, the oldest, maturest and alto- 
gether best prepared of the first three to take the 
initiative. Wherein lies the value of this fact? 

He was a man of large brains, of superior natural 
endowments. And what was notable in him in this 
respect was the well-balanced adjustment of these 
gifts. The form of the head at once indicated this 
(he was no ronndhead) ^ and familiar acquaintance 
with the man confirmed it. He had also received a 
liberal education and a rich literary culture. These 
natural and acquired abilities had been expanded 



Litroductory Period 65 

and ripened by years of teaching. 

His religious heritage through family training, 
his preparation for the ministry in the Scotch-Irish 
Presbyterian Church, years of activity in this sacred 
calling, as well as his inclination of mind and heart, 
all made him most reverent of the Holy Scriptures 
and widely and deeply versed in them. As with 
Luther and Calvin, "the Word of God" was to him 
the sovereign law of decision in religion and in the 
conduct of life. 

Thomas Campbell, to the end of his life, held the 
profoundest evangelical convictions concerning the 
Bible and Christian doctrine. A valuable character- 
istic of this Christian hero was his firmness of con- 
viction. He was not, as might be supposed from 
his marked courtesy and gentleness of disposition, 
ready to yield like Melanchthon under hard pressure, 
on the contrary, as all who well knew him testify; 
he had all the courage of the Scotch Covenanter. 
He never yielded when conscious of right in any 
important matter, especially when the Word of God 
was at stake. When excited in discussion, even in 
his old age, he revealed a spark of the temper of 
John Knox. I have seen him maintain his ground 
persistently in private argument for an hour against 
his son Alexander. 

Thomas Campbell's character was adorned with 
the charm of genuine courtesy and refinement of 
manners; he was a true gentleman, and these quali- 
ties were worth much to him as a Christian reformer, 
and to us also. 

The crowning grace of the life of this eminent 



66 Refoi'-ination of the Nineteenth Century 

servant of God was his deep, unaffected piet3\ ^t 
was a piety tliat was true "godliness," and was like 
that of his great son, healthy and manly, free from 
every taint of pietism. 

Let the reader study well the character-sketch 
here given, which can be relied on as accurately 
drawn, and then judge whether this man, so admir- 
ably endowed, was not worthy to be a chosen instru- 
ment in the hand of God to inaugurate with wisdom 
and effect an effort to heal the wounds of a broken 
church, to bring back the spouse of Jesus to the 
unity in spirit, doctrine and life of its earliest days. 

This was the father's task — to project the great 
reform. But to bring it to full development of 
purpose and constitution of life and then execute it 
with success, demanded qualities Thomas Campbell 
did not possess in the fullness of their required 
strength. This office fell providentially to his sonJ 
Let us consider the situation. 

First, inevitably the reformation proposed would 
necessarily extend in its historic development far 
into the coming years. 

Thomas Campbell was born in 1763, and was not 
far from fifty years of age when he wrote A Declara- 
tion in 1809, which was d^ prospectus of the reforma- 
tion; and he had come to America in quest of health. 
The movements he initiated called for one of 
younger years and of more than ordinary enduring 
vigor of body and mind. 



Introductory Period 67 

ALEXANDER CAMPBELL. 

Alexander Campbell was born in 1787, and was 
therefore in 1809 in the full strength of youthful 
manhood, stalwart in body and mind, capable of 
enduring the strain on both of these that through 
years of extraordinary labor awaited him. He pos- 
sessed the indispensable energy, necessarily wanting 
in the father, to push forward the great undertaking 
in the face of great obstacles and opposition. He 
was, moreover, a powerful preacher, which his 
father was not, an advocate bold and puissant before 
the people, mighty in public discourse, in argument 
and discussion — just the man needed with effect to 
expound and vindicate in sermon and debate, by 
mouth and by pen, the new and extraordinary plea 
for a reform so broad and so thorough. 

His was, moreover, by reason of his age and con- 
sequent vigorous mental action, a spirit less con- 
servative, in which this cause would, as it demanded, 
receive fuller and rapider development to the fulfill- 
ment of its great purpose than it had yet attained or 
could possibly attain in the mind and in the hands 
of its original projector. 

A. Campbell was qualified also by the strong 
tendencies of his nature, being an ardent republican, 
passionately appreciative of the freedom of thought 
and life and of all the grand opportunities of this 
new world, to adjust himself in all his efforts as a 
reformer to the favorable conditions of the land and 
the people to which God had brought him, much 
beyond what could have been expected of his father. 



68 Refoinnati'on of the Nineteenth Century 

who had grown up to advanced life amid the con- 
servative old world of Ireland. The son was fitted 
in every respect and in fullest measure to be the 
man of strong action, Avho was to take up and carry 
forward to large and successful development the 
glorious enterprise so nobly and so wisely conceived 
by the father. A warrior, a general for great and 
enduring campaigns, was needed, and A. Campbell 
was this man. The father in council, the son in 
the field as well as in council. 

These were the points of distinction between these 
two men of providence, but they were distinctions, 
not opposing differences; had these existed their 
hearty co-operation, so needful, so complete and so 
marked in their entire history, could not have been 
maintained. 

In all matters of essential importance to the cause 
to which they gave their lives they were one; they 
stood together. During the entire period of the 
Christian Baptist, that valiant pioneer, and through 
the first decade of the Millennial Harbinger, Thomas 
Campbell was at his son's right hand as writer and 
counselor; nothing important came from the latter' s 
pen that had not first passed the judgment of the 
former. The immense moment for good to our cause 
of this co-operation cannot be measured. 

Wherein consisted the important elements of 
unity of these two men? 

A. Campbell was endowed, as already stated, with 
extraordinary mental power. He had also received 
a superior education and literary culture. He stood 
forth in this respect much above the men among 



Introductory Period 69 

whom he came forth as a reformer. He had been 
and ever continued to be a man of diligent study. 
He revered the Bible and was widely and deeply 
versed in it; he was profoundly pious, as his father. 

His relio^ious and theolosfical views, while he 
early learned to reject the unscriptural language of 
the schools, were thoroughly evangelical. No 
"liberal" neologism, destructive of the Bible and of 
its faith, ever found acceptance with him. God be 
thanked for this! I can affirm this with perfect 
confidence, that if any changes in this respect 
occurred in him through his riper years, they were 
always in the direction of great conservatism on all 
points of Christian doctrine. This might naturally 
be expected of a man of such a faith and such relig- 
ious training. He never would for a moment 
tolerate tendencies that weakened our faith in the 
deity of Jesus Christ. "The three persons in the 
Godhead" was with him a constant theme of dis- 
course. Unitarianism, any form of Arianism, was 
always an object of extreme aversion to him. 

As a man of large intellectual power, of rich 
knowledge, of learning and culture, of broad views 
that saved him from narrowness and fanaticism and 
gave him a generous appreciation of all that was 
true, good and great in the religious and secular 
world, as a man of high and noble aims, Alexander 
Campbell could "stand before kings," before the 
kingliest of audiences, and win — force if need be — 
respect for his cause. 

This is a most extraordinary fact, that these two 
men of God so admirably adapted, the one to inau- 



70 Reformation of the Nineteenth Century 

gurate, the other to execute the great reformatory 
movement, should be father and son, both inspired 
by the same spirit, urged on .by the same holy 
motives, sustained by the same strong faith, united 
in the same fervent piety towards God and his Word; 
sharing in profoundest conviction the same perfect 
acceptance of all the great, fundamental, eternal 
truths of the doctrine of Christ; and laboring side by 
side in their exalted mission in closest fellowship of 
mind and heart, and in reverent, loving respect for 
each other to the end of their days; for this perfect 
concord of these great spirits continued with the son 
even when the father had passed on to the higher 
life. 



VII. 

AI^EXANDER CAMPBKI.L AND HIS COLABORERS — 
CONCLUDED. 

But while the Campbells were so admirably 
qualified to fill the measure of what was wanted in 
the men who were to begin and lead forward the 
work providentially committed to them, there were 
yet other men, and other talents not possessed by 
them in the required measure, needed to effect its 
success. It has ever been so in all moral and relig- 
ious movements. No one man, and no two men, 
meet all the demands of God's ministry in the 
execution of any important purpose of his among 
men. It was so with the prophets, and so with the 
apostles and the great reformers. God will always 
provide the men he needs. 

WALTER SCOTT. 

Walter Scott came early within the sphere of the 
influence of the reformation, then just in the first 
stage of its development. What kind of a man 
was he? 

Walter Scott was born in Dumfriesshire, Scotland, 
October 31st, 1796. He was remarkably well pre- 
pared for the career into which the hand of God led 
him. No one could see him without being impressed 
by his striking appearance; a large, well-developed 

head, betokening unusual intellectual power; bright, 

(71) 



72 Reformation of the Nineteenth Century 

keen, searching eyes, revealing intelligence; an 
enthusiastic spirit, earnestness of character and 
kindliness of heart. His finely-formed Scotch nose 
denoted vigor of purpose. His large mouth was 
that of an orator. I have often heard him say, 
"The mouth has much to do in making a preacher." 

He received a fine classical education at the 
University of Edinburgh; was a man of a rich 
literary culture; his reading had been extensive and 
in the best literature. His gifts as a preacher were 
of a high order; his language was always the purest 
and choicest English, chaste, elegant, and at times 
he rose to the sublime. 

The crown of all that was excellent in this 
remarkable man, was his exalted religious and spir- 
itual inner and outer life. An all-pervading devout- 
ness of spirit marked all his thoughts, words and 
actions. An unaffected piety and a reverence for 
God and his Word gave grace to his character. He 
had been reared in the strict life of the Scotch 
Presbyterian Church and was intended for the min- 
istr}^ The Bible had, from his childhood, been 
with him the chief object of devout study. I have 
never come in contact with a man more largely and 
deeply versed in the Holy Scriptures than Walter 
Scott. With his poetic, imaginative spirit, the 
Hebrew poetry of the Old Testament had for him a 
special charm. He had early in life committed the 
finest of them to memory. His recitation of them — 
gifted elocutionist as he was — charmed his listeners. 
These psalms and other poetical passages of the 
Bible ran like "golden threads" through his sermons. 



Introductory Period 73 

Like the Campbells, Scott was thoroughly, 
intensely evangelical; not a trace of "liberal" 
thought was ever discernible in his conception of 
the Bible or its doctrine. The divinity of Jesus 
Christ was ever the center of his theology; this he 
continually proclaimed. 

This was the man destined in God's purpose to 
complete the ministry that was to give the first 
effective impulse to the cause of the "restoration" 
of the apostolic gospel,. to use Scott's own favorite 
term. 

WALTER SCOTT AS THE PIONEER EVANGELIST. 

A. Campbell took Scott, then living at Steuben- 
ville, teaching and preaching, with him to the 
meeting of the Mahoning Association at New 
Lisbon, in August, 1827. When this body had 
gone over into the reformatory cause, it was decided 
that an evangelist should be sent forth among the 
churches it represented. At the motion of A. 
Campbell, Walter Scott was unanimously appointed 
to this office. This, was the beginning of his extra- 
ordinary career as a preacher. 

Scott was the man needed just at this crisis to 
carry forward unto victory among the people the 
great cause of the inaugurated reform. As soon as 
he had come to a clear understanding of "the gospel 
of Christ," it set his whole soul aflame. He was 
filled with an all-consuming passion to preach it to 
men. It was to him the restored light of heaven 
"that now shone forth in full radiance after ages of 
obscuration. His speech was like fire; his setting 



74 Refor7nation of the Nineteenth Century 

forth of the newly-found truth was wondrously 
complete, exact and clear. The people saw the 
scriptural doctrine — such was the logical accuracy 
and symmetry of his arguments, so vivid was his 
presentation of it. It broke upon the people like a 
new revelation from heaven. The New Testament 
— the whole Bible — now became clearly intelligible 
to them. 

And there was such a marvelous simplicity in the 
preaching of this man; all, of every order of intelli- 
gence, could understand him. His language was of 
the highest order of classic excellence, that solicited 
the intelligence and captivated the best minds. 
The spirit of a loving heart breathed through his 
discourses and banished opposition where this was 
possible. He transmitted his own enthusiastic, pas- 
sionate joy at the newly discovered apostolic faith to 
the hearts of his hearers. Finally, he could awaken 
in the souls of men an intense sense of the need and 
the joy of salvation, of the forgiveness of sins, and 
the wonderful assurance of it the gospel gives, as 
few preachers among us have ever been able to do. 
His preaching carried the fire of heaven into the 
dormant churches of the Association; its effect was 
as if an earthquake had shaken them. 

I did not hear Scott in these earliest days of his 
ministry; afterwards I knew him well for years. 
But I have traversed, not many years after his first 
appearance, as familiar haunts, all these fields of his 
great triumphs. I have lived among and conversed 
with the men and women who witnessed his won- 
derful power, hundreds of them his converts. 



Introductory Period 75 

Walter Scott's victorious progress among the 
clmrches of the Mahoning Association, as their 
evangelist, was a moral phenomenon. This was 
precisely what was wanted to plant firmly among the 
people the cause of the reformation. For this 
important work Scott was needed as the man who 
complemented the Campbells; each one of these men 
had his own part to perform in the mighty enterprise 
that needed them all. Eastern Ohio, together with 
the neighboring regions of Pennsylvania and West- 
ern Virginia, has ever since been a stronghold of 
the reformation; and from it the movement has 
spread far and wide over our land, to the remote.'^t 
limits of New England and to the shores of the 
Pacific. 

It may also be added that some of the most valu- 
able thoughts that have given form, clearness and 
force to our plea, ^nd have become current among 
us, had their origin with Walter Scott. 

DR. ROBERT RICHARDSON. 

Dr. Richardson, the fourth and youngest in the 
group of "x\. Campbell and his colaborers," was 
brought up an Episcopalian in the city of Pitts- 
burgh. His father was one of the first friends of 
Walter Scott when he came to that city from Scot- 
land and established himself there as a teacher. 
Robert was one of his students, and became greatly 
attached to this remarkable teacher; for Scott was 
not only a scholar of high order, but also an instruct- 
or whose large heart embraced with afrection his 



76 Reformation of the Nineteenth Ce7ittiry 

students, especially those who, like young Richard- 
son, were of superior mind. His intense devotion 
to the Bible led him to make this supreme classic 
the object of daily instruction in his school. The 
Greek New Testament was the favorite classbook in 
the Greek classes. Many ingenuous young men 
were thus led by "the beloved teacher" to Christ. 

When Scott was brought to see the religion of the 
New Testament in its truth and simplicity, his 
ardent spirit burned to communicate the glad tidings 
to all around him. Young Richardson was one of 
those among his students who were won by him to 
the newly found truth. 

Walter Scott was o;i the Western Reserve, Ohio, 
on his grand campaign of preaching "the ancient 
gospel," when young Dr. Richardson came to him, 
after traveling for this purpose 120 miles, to tell him 
that after diligent study he had found the light, and 
had now come to be baptized by him. Scott's joy 
can be imagined when he found that this favorite 
"son" of his — for so he called his students — had 
been "brought to the knowledge of the truth." 
This young man, then a practicing physician near 
Pittsburgh, from that hour to the end of a long life 
gave himself with all the ardor of his soul to the 
cause he had espoused. 

Robert Richardson was endowed with much more 
than ordinary intellectual gifts; and these he culti- 
vated with great industry from early youth to his 
mature years. He was always in the truest sense of 
the word a man of intellectual and literary habits. 
He had reached good attainments in the classical 



Introductory Period -yy 

tongues and was well versed in French. His calling 
and mental inclinations led him to the study of the 
natural sciences; he was professor of chemistry and 
kindred sciences in Bethany College for nineteen 
years. Nature was a field he explored with passion- 
ate delight. He had a special predilection for the 
higher walks of literature; I question whether any 
man among us ever reached higher excellency in 
literary taste and culture than Dr. Richardson; his 
writings testify to this. 

But the chief devotion of this remarkable man's 
mind and heart was given to the Word of God ; with 
unwearied diligence he gave himself to the study of 
the Bible as one who seeks after "the goodly pearls" 
of the most precious light and truth. The powerful 
impulse to this he received, like so many others, 
from his espousing the cause of New Testament 
Christianity. The great question with these reform- 
ers was, What does the Bible teach? And the 
entire field of investigation and discussion lay within 
the limits of the Holy Scriptures. Of Dr. Richard- 
son, however, it must be said that he did not confine 
his study of the Bible, as so many have done, to the 
special subjects of controversy only; that is always a 
very defective use of the Holy Scripture, indeed, a 
most perverted and perverting abuse of it. He 
sought to explore all its treasures of wisdom and 
knowledge, that "as a man of God he might be per- 
fected, thoroughly furnished to every good work." 

As an expounder of the Scripture Dr. Richardson 
was very highly esteemed. His knowledge of the 
Word of God was wide, thorough and critical. 



78 Reformation of the Nineteenth Century 

From no one could the inquiring student secure 
more prompt attention to any questions relative to 
the Bible or more satisfactory answers. 

With reference to the great cause of our reforma- 
tion, it can be said of Dr. Richardson that no one 
among its earlier advocates had a fuller, clearer and 
more critically defined conception of its grounds and 
aims, and of the principles of its plea than he; and 
no one could set these forth more accurately and 
intelligibly to the understanding of men. His 
admirable tract on the Principles of the Reformation, 
and his Memoirs of A. Campbell are witnesses to 
this fact. Few men had made the entire subject, 
on all sides of it, the object of more thorough study 
than he. 

Moreover — and this I can say with the confidence 
of intimate, certain knowledge — no one of "the glo- 
rious company of witnesses," whose names brighten 
this cause in the heroic days of its history, remained 
truer to its high purposes, its character, its worth 
and its sure hopes of triumphant success, to the last 
days of his life than the Sage of Bethphage. It was 
a delight to hear him discourse on "The Great 
Reformation" in his latest years. This eminent 
teacher of Israel understood this cause better and 
esteemed it higher, than not a few young men whose 
scanty knowledge and experience alone justify their 
slight appreciation of the noblest religious reform in 
these latest centuries. 

What I have said of the Campbells and of Walter 
Scott is true also of Dr. Richardson: he was thor- 
oughly evangelical in his conceptions of the Bible 



Introductory Period 79 

and of Christian doctrine; no one could be more so, 
as his writings testify. He stood firm as a rock 
against all forms of rationalistic and Unitarian ten- 
dencies. Thank God for this! One striking quality 
of his character was his firmness; he never yielded 
to what he regarded wrong. 

For years he practiced medicine; but during all 
this time he was active as preacher and writer in 
advancing the cause of the reformation. In 1835 
A. Campbell brought him to Bethany as his co- 
laborer in the Millennial Harbinger. The Christian 
Baptist was the pioneer; the Millennial Harbinger 
covers the much longer and more important forma- 
tive stage, the period of development, great con- 
quest, organization and permanent life. These were 
the years of the activity of Dr. Richardson alongside 
of A. Campbell, a co-operation which continued for 
two decades. The Harbinger is full of his writings. 
During the frequent absence of the chief editor from 
home, "his right hand," the Doctor of Bethphage, 
which overlooks Bethany, was at the helm of this 
powerful advocate of the reformation. The influence 
of Dr. Richardson on the history of our cause was 
most salutary, broad, strong and enduring. I^ike 
Scott, he added many important directive thoughts 
to our plea, which threw new light upon it and have 
become the heritage of our ministry. 

Such were the distinguishing characteristics, thus 
briefly sketched, of these four men who,. above all 
others, were the providential instruments in inau- 
gurating and in giving character, direction and per- 



8o Refor7natio7i of the Nmeteenth Century 

manent life to our reformatory movement, which 
has had such wonderful expansion in this great land. 
What lasting impress did they leave upon it? It is 
of high interest to us, and to others, well to under- 
stand this. 

THE PERMANENT INFLUENCE OF A. CAMPBELL AND 
HIS COLABORERS, THOMAS CAMPBELL, WALTER 
SCOTT AND DR. R. RICHARDSON, UPON OUR REFOR- 
MATION. 

1. The fact that they were men of superior 
mental endowment; that they were men of liberal 
education and large literary culture — well versed in 
the fields of the best knowledge that liberalizes the 
mind and the heart, gave to their conceptions of a 
religious reform wisdom, clearness, breadth, depth, 
generosity, liberality, dignity and power. It is an 
unquestionable historical fact that reforms — any 
moral and religious movement — conceived and con- 
ducted by inferior, ignorant, illiterate men, however 
well intended, are always characterized in concep- 
tion and execution by crudeness, shallowness, nar- 
rowness and weakness. 

2. Their supreme reverence for the Bible, their 
profound study and knowledge of it, made them lay 
the foundations of their reform deep in the spirit 
and letter of the Word of God. 

3. Their enlightened, thoroughly evangelical 
conceptions of the doctrine of Christ, in all its 
fundamental elements, led them to give this charac- 
ter, of priceless value, also to the faith, the doctrine 



Introductory Period 8 1 

and preaching of the reformation. May these ever 
so remain! 

4. The exaltation given by these men to faith in 
the Lord Jesus Christ and obedience to God, as the 
one chief moment of Christian faith and duty^i sub- 
jugating to it all human opinions; and their making 
the Holy Scripture the only rule of belief, faith , 
practice and life, to the rejection of human creeds, 
is an inheritance they have left us that has been 
deeply implanted into the very heart and life of this 
reformation, and has given to it such extraordinary 
power among the people. 

5. Finally — and let me call special attention to 
this — the sincere piety that adorned and glorified 
the lives of these men, and so powerfully pervaded 
their teaching and preaching, must be preserved as 
a sacred legacy to us and our cause. For nothing is 
more utterly false than that our fathers were mainly 
concerned to lead men to correct views and to 
external obedience. The reverse of this is true. 
They were eminently pious men themselves, and in 
all their teaching strove to call men to godliness 
and holiness of life. 

All these blessed influences that have come to our 

cause from these men of God; that have sanctified it 

and given it power and the favor from on high, have 

been perpetuated by the host of men of like mind, 

of like faith and heart who labored with them and 

after them. Herein lies the secret of our confident 

hope that our work shall endure with a permanent 

God-blessed life, to fulfill its divine appointed 

mission on the earth, 
6 



82 Reformation of the Nineteenth Century 

Thomas Campbell, Alexander Campbell, Walter 
Scott and R. Richardson — what illustrious names! 
How lofty they rise before us iu the history of our 
past, of the heroic days of the mighty battle for the 
faith, the doctrine and life of the Primitive Church! 
How worthy their lives of our reverence and love, 
and of our study and imitation! 



VIIL 

the union principi.e applied union with the 

"christian" reformers. 

The gradual development of the thought of our 
reformation in the minds of its originators, is a 
historical fact of deepest interest and most instruc- 
tive. The people who have accepted this religious 
regeneration should well understand this fact, and 
the lesson it bears should be taught with all dili- 
gence and clearness to the religious world here and 
elsewhere, especially to that part of it that has wit- 
nessed the rise and wonderful growth of this reform. 
Nothing is more common than that the intimate 
genetic history of the beginnings of great religious 
revolutions, in time becomes misunderstood or is 
wholly forgotten even by those most concerned to 
understand it. 

It was the unhappy divisions in the Christian 
world that first arrested the attention of Thomas 
Campbell; it was not this or that particular error in 
doctrine or practice. I^et this be well noted. He 
saw that this fearful Babel of discord in faith and 
life in Christendom, was a vast apostasy from the 
original state of the Church and wholly opposed to 
the doctrine and spirit of the New Testament, as 
well as most disastrous to all the purposes and inter- 
ests of the cause of God on the earth. Herein lay 

the motive, the root and beginning of this reforma- 

C83) 



84 Reformation of the NineteentJi Century 

tion. The primary cause of it, therefore, was quite 
different from those that moved Luther, Calvin and 
Wesley in their efforts to regenerate the Church. 

Then, when Thomas Campbell and his son Alex- 
ander began to study thoughtfully the question, 
How can a union of God's people be brought about? 
there gradually came to them, one after the other, 
the great ideas that have become the cardinal prin- 
ciples of the plea that has become so potent in our 
land. 

WHAT ARE THESE? 

I. These wise men soon saw and said that the 
party creeds were the immediate product, and then 
also the perpetuating cause and condition of the 
disunion that disfigures, distracts and weakens the 
Church. While these maintain their dominion, it 
was easy to see that union was impossible. 

Creeds — so these men declared — express the faith 
of a people at the particular period of their forma- 
tion; they do not represent this same people's belief 
one and two hundred years later. This is confess- 
edly so, not only with Protestants, but even with 
Catholics. 

They fix and perpetuate religious and theological 
ideas and institutions; they are, therefore, perma- 
nent barriers to union. 

It is well known that the doctrines of creeds are 
very often not shared by many of those ostensibly 
acknowledging them, often of very large numbers; 
they are, therefore, false standards of the confessions 
of these religious bodies, and keep apart many who 



Introductory Period 85 

might without these separating barriers be "mingled 
into one." 

Human creeds, these brave reformers therefore 
decided, must be removed out of the way that God's 
people may be united. 

• But certain other principles, following logically 
from this chief one just stated, were soon developed 
in the minds of these men, as they reasoned farther 
in the direction in which they were moving. 

2. As men of God, wise in the experience of the 
Church and in the knowledge of the Divine Word, 
they determined that a union of Christians, to be 
approved and blessed of God and enduring, must be 
based on the eternal rock of the fundamental truths 
of the divine teaching. It must not be a union 
devised by msii and resting on a humanly ordained 
foundation. 

3. Another important principle must be accepted 
as a corollary from the above. It is this: that con- 
formity can be demanded only in matters of faith 
that are clearly and expressly taught as such in the 
New Testament; and that teaching and preaching in 
matters of doctrine and practice must be strictly 
confined to what is thus taught. Furthermore, that 
a clear distinction must be made between what is 

faith and what is opinion; liberty to be allowed in 
the domain of the latter; but opinions to be kept 
private and not taught nor insisted upon. Finally, 
that all untaught questions and doctrinal specula- 
tions must be avoided, as wholly unauthorized by 
the Word of God, and as leading to discord and 
strife. 



86 Reformation of the Nineteenth Century 

This distinction between faith and opinion was 
one of the most important principles of judgment 
and action developed by this reformation, making 
the former imperative, the latter a matter of private 
liberty. How salutary this distinction has been in 
the progress of our plea must be evident to every 
enlightened man who knows well its history. 

There could be no difficulty in inducing men to 
accept the Bible as the basis of union; but what 
after that? To allow unlimited liberty of interpre- 
tation and preaching, would be to introduce a 
universal dissolvent that would make unity impossi- 
ble. These wise men whom God in his providence, 
as we cannot but believe, sent forth to lead this 
great effort to bring back the Church to its original 
life of unity in faith and practice, steered their ship 
safe between the Scylla of latitudinarianism and the 
Charybdis of creed dominion. 

It was assuredly a very bold venture, never before 
attempted by even the bravest reformers, to propose 
to bring back into permanent and prosperous unity 
great multitudes of Christians on evangelical, New 
Testament grounds, by the application of the princi- 
ple of liberty in opinions and oneness only in the 
fundamental essentials offered to our belief and faith 
in the Word of God. The insistence on both sides 
of this law of union was an act of the wisest judg- 
ment and of the highest moment. And does it not 
reveal, also, a most extraordinary strength of faith 
in- God's Word and providence in the hearts of the 
men who so confidently and hopefully offered this 
rule of action to the church? 



Introductory Period 87 

There is something sublimely attractive in such 
heroic, intrepid confidence in a great principle of 
truth. These grand men seemed ever to say, It is 
right; it will triumph! and that, too, against the 
belief, the practice and traditions of ages, and of the 
whole Christian world. 

When, near the beginning of this century, they 
first proclaimed to the world the principles above 
stated, they could look into the unknown future only 
with the eyes of faith. These reformatory ideas 
had as yet no history; they had no past since the 
first age of the church. But no.v we can look back 
over more than fourscore years of actual experience 
on a large scale, of a severe test in a field of life 
where perhaps, as nowhere else on earth, principles 
are subjected to the keenest scrutiny, pass through 
the severest trial at the hands of the freest and most 
active judgment of men — in our America! And 
these principles had no support but their own 
intrinsic strength. 

What is the historic result of this trial of almost a 
century? Is not this a subject of inquiry of immense 
interest to us? 

To-day almost a million of men and women within 
the limits of the most enlightened population of this 
continent, indeed of this earth — this million them- 
selves fair representatives of this enlightenment — 
stand with victorious confidence, with power and 
prosperity, united on these principles. 

IvCt us study a special page of our history, in 
illustration of the working of the laws of action laid 
down by our fathers. 



88 Reformatio?! of the Nineteenth Century 

UNION WITH THE "CHRISTIANS." 

The first period of favorable o|)portunity and 
expansion for this reformation was that of its history 
among the Baptists. This fact, I am strong and 
happy in believing, was itself a great providence for 
our cause; for this people were men of sound faith in 
the Bible itself and the fundamental elements of its 
doctrine; in Jesus Christ as the Son of God, in his 
divinity, his deity. Note this well, O reader! 
here among this people our movement received its 
first strong impulse of development for life and 
power. 

The notable second occasion for the enlargement 
of our cause was when it met the "Bible Christian" 
reformatory movement. It is beyond all doubt that 
these two opportunities were the great "open doors" 
for the successful extension of our reformation. 

The Campbells and their coadjutors, together with 
the Baptists who united with them, were what the 
Christian world would call Trinitarians^ men who 
hold strictly to the doctrine of the divinity, i. e.^ 
the deity of Jesus Christ; of three persons in the 
Godhead, and regard this as a capital element of 
fundamental Christian truth. 

Efforts to reform the church had been started in 
the South and East of this country early in this cen- 
tury, and in many respects, so far as causes and 
motives were concerned, much like that of the Camp- 
bells. The Southern movement was represented by 
B. W. Stone, those of the East originated with such 
men as Abner Jones and Elias~ Smith, who were 



Introductory Period 89 

Baptists. Strange enough, as a sort of reaction 
from the strict Calvinism and speculative Trinitari- 
anism prevalent in that day, these two currents of 
religious reform were both marked by certain anti- 
Trinitarian tendencies, more or- less pronounced. It 
is well known that the old ironclad Calvinism of the 
New England of former days, by a natural and 
inevitable rebound, produced the Unitarianism that 
has ravaged that land of bold, liberty-aspiring 
thought. One extreme begets another, and when, 
as Schiller sings, "the slave breaks his chain," he 
seldom stops at the limits of right; he becomes an 
iconoclast. 

These reformatory efforts coincided with that of 
the Campbells in that they rejected creeds, took the 
Bible alone as their rule of faith and practice, and 
had also come to accept the immersion of penitent 
believers as the only New Testament baptism; cer- 
tainly a remarkable concurrence in these three 
separate currents of reform — two of them starting 
out from the bosom of Presbyterianism. One other 
important characteristic strongly marked the men 
that led them — they were all ready, unfettered by 
creeds, to learn further; to give up what they might 
find to be wrong and accept any new light from the 
Word of God. 

The Campbells and their colaborers met these 
other currents of reform, the one represented by 
Stone, in Kentucky, the other, from the East, in 
Eastern Ohio and the adjacent regions. These two 
independent movements had already become strong 
forces, especially that led by Stone, wdiich bv 1830 



90 Reformation of the Nineteenth Century 

was supposed to number about 10,000 adherents. 
It had extended by that time over Tennessee, Ken- 
tucky — where it had the largest following — and to 
certain parts of Indiana, Illinois and Ohio. 

The wave from the Bast had spread widely over 
New England and the Middle States. In Ohio it 
had gained many converts in the eastern and central 
parts of the state. As a notable fact it may be 
stated that a number of "Christian" preachers had 
come from Kentucky into Southeastern Ohio, into 
Meigs, Guernsey, Belmont, and even as far as 
Carroll, Stark and Columbiana counties, meeting 
there the Eastern "Christians" and the preachers 
and churches of the Stillwater and Mahoning Baptist 
Associations, now in the full tide of New Testament 
Reformation. 

The beginning of my religious life among the 
Disciples was in this interesting region of Eastern 
Ohio. The church at Minerva, where I was bap- 
tized, situated on the line of Stark and Carroll 
counties, was at that time a notable religious center 
where the three reformatory waves met, mingled 
and became one; the union was early and perfect. 
The "Christian" preachers, representing the Eastern 
reform and that in Kentucky, proclaimed the gospel 
in full harmony, and A. Campbell and the heroes of 
the "Reformed Baptist Associations" were constant 
visitors at Minerva. I heard all these advocates of 
primitive Christianity preach, and they were one in 
the closest fraternal fellowship. 

Wherever in our earlier days the "Christians" 
came into close acquaintance with the "Disciples," 



Introductory Period 91 

the name by which those in sympathy with the 
Bethany movement were generally called, for rea- 
sons already stated a sympathy at once grew up 
between them. The effect was that in Eastern Ohio 
and in Pennsylvania, without any formal action, 
many of the former, not only individuals, but entire 
congregations, led by the preachers, coalesced with 
the latter, and the two became permanently one. 

I am familiar with this territory and its religious 
history, and can speak advisedly; hardly a "Chris- 
tian" congregation was left out of the union in 
Eastern Ohio. 

In Central Ohio it was otherwise. The Bethany 
reformers had not yet reached this region, except in 
a sporadic way, as in Clinton county; indeed, our 
cause has never been strong as elsewhere in that 
territory. The consequence was that the "Bible 
Chri^ians" maintained there their original distinct 
identity. In the state generally, however, this 
people were greatly weakened by the extensive 
absorption by our reformation of their membership, 
the preachers often included, in the eastern portion 
and in some other localities. 

UNION WITH THE CHRISTIANS IN KENTUCKY. 

In Kentucky, in the Bluegrass region, where the 
two reformatory currents, the one led by B. W. 
Stone, the other by A. Campbell, had already gained 
considerable force, a strong fellowship had grown 
up between their public advocates and their private 
adherents. An earnest disposition to unite was 



92 Reformation of the Nineteenth Century 

manifested. Finally, formal 'conferences were held 
at Georgetown for four days, and afterwards at 
I^exington, in which the ablest men in that region 
on both sides were active; and after full and friendly 
discussion of the points of agreement and difference, 
it was decided to enter into full fraternization. The 
two streams henceforth flowed on in one channel. 

THE BASIS OF UNION. 

The two sides did not come to an entire agreement 
on certain points that had hitherto divided them. 
A. Campbell and those with him who had come 
from the Baptists were very decided in their views 
on the divinity of Christ, the three persons in the 
Godhead, and the atonement. B. W. Stone had 
held a position on these important subjects that in 
the judgment of the religious community savored of 
Unitarianism. It was found, however, on a full 
exchange of views, that the Stone men had a much 
sounder conception of the divinity of Christ and the 
atonement than had been attributed to them. They 
had been, as was quite natural, the object of intense 
prejudice and consequent misrepresentation by the 
denominations, especially the one from which they 
had gone forth. They had experienced the common 
lot of reformers. It is not unlikely that A. Camp- 
bell himself had been influenced to some extent by 
this general tide of hostile sentiment that assailed 
these reformers. At a later day he freely expressed 
his better appreciation of them and their doctrinal 
position. 



Introductory Period 93 

"In Kentucky and the Southwest generally," he 
wrote, "this \i. e.^ speculating about the modus of 
the divine existence,] is getting out of fashion, and 
many of the congregations called 'Christians' are 
just as sound in the faith of Jesus as the only 
begotten Son of God, in the plain import of these 
words, as any congregations with which I am 
acquainted." 

It was agreed, indeed earnestly insisted on by all 
at the conferences held, that all speculations on the 
great subjects above named — as in all other matters 
of Christian doctrine — should be discouraged, and 
that only the evident, positive teaching of the Holy 
Scriptures should be taught in all fidelity, and "not 
in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but in 
the words which the Holy Spirit teacheth." It was 
urged that this method would more and more bring 
about correct conceptions and a correct teaching of 
the doctrine of Christ in all things, and complete 
harmony. Misconceptions on these vital subjects, 
it was justly argued, were largely the fruit of the 
passion of theological speculation that had so long 
and so injuriously prevailed in Christendom. 

While A. Campbell and others on his side were 
not altogether satisfied with the explanations given 
by Stone and his brethren, yet they wisely yielded 
and accepted the full fellowship and co-operation of 
these brethren. Some twenty-five years after this 
act of union I received the account of it and of its 
result from the mouth of A. Campbell himself. It 
was not an easy matter for him to consent to any 
fellowship with even the mildest form of Arianism, 



^4 Reformation of the Ninetee^tth Century 

but he had the wisdom and the charity to allow the 
judgment of such men as J. T. Johnson to prevail. 
He had, moreover, a strong confidence in the salu- 
tary operation of the great principles of union which 
he had himself so strongly advocated, and therefore 
in the fraternal alliance here consummated with 
such men as Stone and the noble men associated 
with him. .In this confidence he was not deceived. 

What decided the reformers who stood with A. 
Campbell to enter into this union with the "Chris- 
tians?" This is certainly a question of deep 
interest to us. 

Let me give the answer briefly, based on a careful 
study of the case. 

1. As already stated, these "Christians" were 
earnest biblical reformers, resolved to stand on the 
Bible alone. They had rejected all creeds; had 
adopted the immersion of penitent believers as the 
only scriptural baptism. They were most reverent 
of Jesus Christ as the Lord of life and glory and as 
the Savior and Redeemer of men by his death on 
the cross. 

2. They were ready and zealous to learn the way 
of life more perfectly; there was with them no 
"hitherto and no farther" in Bible knowledge, as 
with men bound by creeds. 

3. Like the brethren of the other side, they were 
resolved to keep aloof from all speculations on 
matters of faith and duty, and to teach only the 
Word, in the thoughts and language of Christ and 
the apostles. 

4. Finally — and this was a capital matter — Stone 



Introductory Period 95 

and his brethren were noted for their noble manli- 
ness of character, their piety and religious zeal. 
They were men worthy of the highest confidence. 
A. Campbell repeatedly bore strong witness to this. 
On these grounds this union was effected. Of 
course, these intelligent men on both sides knew 
very well that it was altogether possible, and no 
uncommon thing, to use scriptural speech and give 
it a meaning quite foreign to that intended by the 
sacred writers. This objection was indeed urged. 
The confidence in this union, however, was strong 
because of the eminent character for intelligence, 
sincerity, piety and supreme devotion to the Word 
of God of B. W. Stone and the men who were with 
him. 

It is also well known that these "Christian" 
reformers for years did not occupy precisely the 
same ground with A, Campbell and his brethren on 
the subject of the operation of the Spirit and the 
object of baptism. Unity on these points, however, 
was soon reached. 

And now as to the result of this union. 
This is a very instructive history and of the 
greatest moment to the proper appreciation of the 
principles of Christian union proposed by this 
reformation. 

First of all and most evident, is the fact that by 
means of this alliance an immense force, in the 
numbers and the character of the people brought 
into the union, was added to the army of New 
Testament reformers. It is not easy to calculate 
with any sort of accuracy the additional strength 



96 Reformation of the Nineteenth Century 

thus acquired. There must be taken into the 
account not only the "Christian" Churches, but 
eminently also the not inconsiderable company of 
preachers, not a few of them strong men, that was 
united with the other body of able ministers of the 
Word advocating a return to primitive Christianity, 
together now constituting a mighty host of valiant 
reformers. This new increase of strength extended 
especially over the important territory of Kentucky, 
Indiana, Illinois, and later of Missouri, a vast field 
especially favorable to religious reform. That this 
accession gave our reformation a mighty impulse is 
beyond all question. Who acquainted with our 
history does not know what was gained by winning 
to our cause such men as Samuel and John Rogers, 
J. A. Gano, T. M. Allen, Henry D. and Francis R. 
Palmer, and others that might be named, besides 
B. W. Stone himself. A long list of younger men, 
who became great preachers, might be named, who 
were brought to us by this union. Much of the 
marvelous advance our plea has made in the states 
above named and in the great West generally, is 
beyond doubt largely owing to the union of the 
"Christians" with the "Disciples." 

But that which is most instructive to us in this 
important page of our history, is the demonstration 
it affords of the justness and safety of the principle 
of union advocated by us, and vindicated in this 
instance. 

Let the reader bear carefully in mind the basis of 
the union effected, and-also — and this is very essen- 
tial to a proper judgment in this case — what the real 



Introductory Period 97 

doctrinal position of this body of "Christians" was, 
and the character of their preachers, all of which 
has been stated above. All these conditions made 
the proposal of nnion wise and safe. For, let me 
repeat it, the principle of union the Campbells 
advocated did not justify a coalescence of elements 
that have doctrinally no affinity with each other. 
No fraternal incorporation with us of a people fun- 
damentally at variance with us in the essential 
elements of the doctrine of Christ, could have been 
proposed or accepted. But the condition of things 
being as above described, what was the result? 

It was this: 

In the churches of Eastern Ohio where an alliance 
was effected, the supreme power of A. Campbell and 
of the doctrinal position he occupied relative to the 
points of divergence between the Disciples and the 
"Christians," soon revealed itself. The penumbra 
of ynitarianistic ideas gradually passed away before 
the powerful arguments of the Campbells, Scott, and 
their compeers, and gave place to the full light of 
truth on the most momentous facts revealed in the 
New Testament, the divinity of Jesus Christ, and 
the atonement based upon it. Those only who 
have lived in the very heart of this remarkable 
transformation can have a just notion of what it was. 

I believe I am justified in saying that, as a general 
fact, so far as the case demanded it, the same result 
followed relative to the "Christians" in Kentucky 
and in the South and West, and for the same 

reasons. 

7 



98 Refoinnation of the Nineteenth Centuiy 

These excellent Cliristiaii people on both sides, by 
this union became truly brethren; they were no 
longer two parties, but had now become one. They 
"loved one another;" were not only willing, but 
desirous to "see eye to eye." This is a capital 
point in the matter. They were ready and eager to 
learn, and they knew and felt that there was no 
.hindrance to this. What more natural, then, than 
that the truth, wherever it was among them, and 
which is always the stronger, esjDecially in very 
strong hands, should prevail. 

This trace of Arianism, faint and evanescent as it 
certainly was, had been begotten by the scholastic 
speculations of an extreme orthodoxy, in fellowship 
with a rigid Calvinism that shocked men, and is 
now happily passing away. When these godly, 
sincere seekers after truth were in fraternal associa- 
tion with men who, by the blessing of God, were 
utterly free from these mischievous and repulsive 
ideas and habits, the truth concerning Jesus Christ 
and the mystery of his death on the cross appeared 
to them in a new and better light. The causes that 
had led them to the position to which they had been 
driven, were taken away. 

But there was a particular, powerful force that 
operated in behalf of a correct acceptation of Christ's 
nature and office. It was this: In our preaching of 
the gospel we put in the front and lifted up to the 
loftiest eminence, as the one supreme object of faith, 
Jesus Christy the Son of the living God. What other 
effect could follow with a people who so preached, 
than that all attention should be fixed upon the 



Introductory Period 99 

exaltation of Jesus Christ, that he might be preached 
as really worthy of this highest place in the faith, 
confidence and hope of men. And this all preached, 
and the inevitable effect irresistibly followed. To- 
day we are everywhere one in our faith and preach- 
ing in this regard. 

Now and then, as might be expected, sporadic 
instances have occurred of prurient, aberrant spirits 
attempting to raise their voices in our churches to 
speculate on these awful, divine mysteries, to essay 
to utter Unitarian ideas. But such men with us 
would stand apart as Ishmaelites, and their history 
among us as preachers was always very brief. 

Another very instructive fact may be noted here. 

While this process to a unity in the true faith as 
it is in Christ Jesus was going on among us, the 
very opposite was the history largely of the "Chris- 
tians" in the East. They have been gradually 
following Unitarianism in its tendency downwards 
to a balder and emptier Arianism. Some of their 
churches have had Unitarian Pedobaptist pastors. 

It will be remembered by the readers of the 
Harbinger that a proposition was made to us for a 
union with the "Old Christians" in New England 
and Eastern Pennsylvania, through Elder J. J. 
Harvey, one of their preachers, in April, 1845. 
Mr. Harvey, whom I knew personally, was a most 
estimable man, all whose family, father, mother, 
brothers and sisters, were Disciples. A. Campbell, 
to whom this proposal was sent, repudiated it with 
great earnestness and force, because these "Old 
L.ofC. 



lOO Reformation of the Nineteenth Century 

Christians-' were Unitarian, and sought a union also 
with the Unitarians of New England. 

One fact further deserves notice here: In our 
history thus far it has been demonstrated that, 
while private liberty of opinion is tolerated, there is 
a strong, vital energy in the faith, the intelligence 
and spiritual life of our churches, capable and 
prompt to repel any serious errors and errorists that 
seek to fix themselves among us. 

Our principles of union in faith and action have 
been victoriously vindicated. What trials the 
future may have in store for us in this regard, no 
one can venture to predict. 



IX. 

THE FIRST NATIONAL CONVENTION, HELD IN 

CINCINNATI, OCTOBER, 1849. 

THE CALL. 

The fact wliicli was noted with emphasis in the 
chapter on "x\. Campbell and His Colaborers," that 
the men who inaugurated our reformation were en- 
dowed with large intellectual power, with wisdom, 
learning, piety and strong moral courage, and were 
widely and deeply versed in the Word of God — a 
providential fact, certainly — has marked with its 
salutary influence our entire history. In the divine 
hand it has given us power and large development; 
has brought us to understand God's purposes in his 
Church, and to adopt the eificient means of execut- 
ing these purposes. 

Karly in our history, during the fourth decade of 
this century, the thoughts of our prominent men 
were turned to the important question of the neces- 
sary condition for the permanent and prosperous life 
of the church. This meant its proper organization, 
in the widest sense of this word, as revealed in the 
word and spirit of the New Testament; for on this 
depended its efficiency — the wise development and 
exercise of its power as God's agency to execute his 
work in Christ on the earth. 

The revolutionary period of initiatory conflicts 
was passing away; the time for the established, reg- 
ular, enduring life of the Church had come. 

ClOl) 



I02 Reformation of the Nineteenth Century 

Those still among us, old enough, may remember 
that by 1840 there was already a general awakening 
in the churches, the result of the teaching of our 
strong men, notably in the Millennial Harbinger, on 
the questions of "Organization, Co-operation and 
Edification;" i. e.^ the closer alliance of the churches 
for efficient co-operation in general evangelization, 
Sunday-schools, proper pastoral work and discipline 
in the churches, the creation of a larger efficient 
ministry of the Word, and the control of the free 
itinerant preachers. 

These and kindred questions were at that time ex- 
citing with much force general attention. 

This was most creditable to the intelligence of our 
preachers and our people, and was full of promise for 
the future. It is well for the present generation, now 
so far removed from those da3^s, to know this impor- 
tant fact in our history. Those who will take the 
pains to read the Millennial Harbinger of those 
years will find this statement confirmed. The in- 
quiries and discussions these important; topics aroused 
throughout our churches and our press, had much to 
do in bringing about the great convention of 1849 
and in inaugurating among us the era of missionary 
enterprises which has given us the remarkable period 
of expansion and progress we are witnessing to-day. 

The Millennial Harbinger was always with its 
great power leading in the ways of true progress and 
development; its watchword was ever, Forward! It 
was the Pharos that guided the people and illumin- 
ated their path in all important movements. 

Our first general convention was held in Cincin- 



Introductory Period 103 

nati in 1849, beginning October 24; it continued, with 
the preliminary meeting, five days. What were the 
motives that summoned this national assembly? 

First of all, it was urged on all sides, and by our 
wisest meu, that it was of great importance that a 
closer acquaintance and fellowship of mind, heart 
and hand should now be established among us, be- 
cause of the increasing number and the widespread 
extent of our people. But, furthermore, also be- 
cause we were beginning to awaken to the duty of 
executing the command of our King to carry the gos- 
pel to all parts of the world. These were the two 
leading motives that called this memorable conven- 
tion. A. Campbell, in an article strongly advocating 
this step, said: "The purposes of such a primary 
convention are already indicated by the general de- 
mand for a more efficient and scriptural organization 
— for a more general and efficient co-operation in the 
Bible cause, in the missionary cause, in the education 
cause." Everywhere the words were heard: "We 
have gone through the war period, battling for life 
and existence; now we must turn our attention to the 
more difficult but most vital question of permanent 
organization for lasting existence and strong action 
in our life and mission as representatives of apostolic 
Christianity." 

During the spring and summer of 1849 ^be calls 
for a general convention became more numerous and 
stronger. A. Campbell early in that year advocated 
such a meeting to devise methods "for the setting 
in order the things wanting among us to perfect the 
Church and convert the world." The Christian Age 



104 Reformation of the Nmetee7ith Century 

and Unionist, of Cincinnati, edited by W. Scott and 
T. J. Melish, responding to the suggestion of A. 
Campbell, said: "We all seem to see the necessity of 
such a meeting, and doubtless a great majority of 
the brotherhood are anxious to have it." The Chris- 
tian Intelligencer, the organ of the brethren in Vir- 
ginia, under date of June 23, gave hearty approval. 
"We are very anxious," it declared, "that there 
shall be a general meeting of the Disciples. Let the 
brethren from the different parts of the United 
States come together, cultivate each other's ac- 
quaintance, and in the fear of the Lord consider the 
welfare of Zion and the means to be employed in ex- 
tending the boundaries of the Messiah's kingdom. 
We insist that all the churches shall take the matter 
into consideration at an early day and appoint per- 
sons to represent them." 

John Young, of Mason County, Kentucky, an 
Irishman of liberal education and once a professor 
in Bethany College, and afterwards president of But- 
ler University, wrote to the Millennial Harbinger: 
''''Brother Campbell: I am truly glad to see among 
our editorial brethren a general desire for a meeting 
of delegates from the churches to decide upon our 
course in reference to Bible circulation and mission- 
ary operations The delegates from the 

churches should proceed to lay a basis for missionary 
operations and form a society for sending evangelists 

to the heathen The great command of our 

Lord is, 'Go into all the world and preach the gospel 
to every creature.' But we are not fulfilling it. 
Others with less knowledge of the divine Word 



Introductory Period 105 

than we possess have gone abroad and are winning 
thousands from paganism to the service of the living 
God, and earning for themselves imperishable 
crowns, while we stand gazing on, priding ourselves 
on being the Reformation of the nineteenth century, 
but not doing the works which might honor and jus- 
tify this high claim." 

A. Campbell, during the spring and summer of 
that year, was with great power and clearness urg- 
ing the claims of the convention and of its objects, 
especially that of the missionary cause. To certain 
objections to a missionary society he answered in his 
usual forcible manner. He said: "To ask for 2, posi- 
tive precept for everything in the details of duties 
growing out of the various exigencies of the Chris- 
tian Church and the world, would be quite as irra- 
tional and unscriptural as to ask for an immutable 
wardrobe or a uniform standard of apparel for all 

persons and ages in the Christian Church In 

all things pertaining to public interest, not of Chris- 
tian faith, piety or morality, the church of Jesus 
Christ in its aggregate character is left free and un- 
shackled by any apostolic authority. This is the 
great point which I assert as of capital importance 
in any great conventional movement or co-operation 
in advancing the public interests of a common sal- 
vation." To the end of his life this illustrious man 
continued with unabated confidence and earnestness 
to advocate the missionary cause and the work of 
the convention in 1849. 

In answer to the even more general and louder call 
for the convention, it was finally decided that it 



io6 Reformation of the Nineteenth Century 

should meet at Cincinnati, then yet the geograph- 
ical center of our reformation, on the 22d of Oc- 
tober. 



X. 



MEETING AND ORGANIZATION OF THE CONVENTION 
— IT BEGINS ITS WORK. 

The convention assembled in the churcli at the 
corner of Eighth and Walnut Streets, Tuesday, 
October 23, "for the purpose of temporarily organ- 
izing the General Convention of the Christian 
Churches of the U?iited States of America; this was 
the title given to this convention. Dr. L. ly. Pink- 
erton, of Kentucky, was called to the chair, and 
John M. Bramwell, of Indiana, was appointed secre- 
tary. The following brethren were then unani- 
mously elected permanent officers of the convention, 
to- wit: President, A. Campbell, of Virginia; vice- 
presidents, D. S. Burnet, of Ohio; John O'Kane, of 
Indiana; John T. Johnson, of Kentucky, and Walter 
Scott, of Pennsylvania." 

The committee on order of business was composed 
of Elijah Goodwin, of Indiana; Henry D. Palmer, of 
Illinois; William Morton, of Kentucky; John T. 
Powell, of Ohio; Samuel S. Church, of Missouri; 
Newton Short, of Virginia; Walter Scott, of Penn- 
sylvania; ly. Iv. Pinkerton, of Kentucky, and Rich- 
ard Hawley, of Michigan. 

These names are given here that the reader may 

know what sort of men constituted this convention. 

This great assembly represented our apostolic host 

of preachers and private Christians of that day. 

Among them were the "prophets of Israel," the 

* 'fathers" of our reformation. Note this well. 

(107) 



io8 Reformation of the Nineteenth Cejitury 

The convention met for regular business Wednes- 
day, 9 o'clock A. M. A. Campbell being absent 
because of sickness, the first vice-president, D. S. 
Burnet, took the chair. He presided during the 
entire convention, and with admirable skill and 
judgment. In after years he usually filled this office 
in A. Campbell's absence. 

After some discussion it was decided to enroll all 
the delegates present. Many congregations had 
sent regularly appointed messengers. Some brethren 
represented districts and co-operations of churches; 
others were delegates in a less formal way. The 
names enrolled showed, however, that these men 
were in the best sense the worthy representatives, 
not only of the brotherhood of the particular region 
whence they had come, but of our cause and people 
generally. 

There were enrolled 156 delegates, only 18 of 
whom were from Cincinnati and vicinity. The 
churches represented were 100, from 11 States. 
The minutes, however, showed many names not in 
the enrollment. One State meeting sent messen- 
gers, that of Indiana, held at Indianapolis shortly 
before the convention. 

The representation of our people was large con- 
sidering our numbers at that time, and that the day 
of railroads west of the AUeghenies, where the great 
body of our brotherhood lived, was not yet. Many 
of the brethren came from long distances — from the 
Atlantic States, and from as far as New Orleans. 
Entire delegations made their journeys in the ol^- 
fashioned way, on horseback. 



Introductory Period 109 

It will be of interest to record here the names of 
the most prominent men who constituted this mem- 
orable assembly, that the present generation may 
know who gave the first strong impulse to our 
organized missionary enterprises. 

The messengers from the Indiana State meeting 
were John O'Kane, Elijah Goodwin, George Camp- 
bell, J. B. New, L. H. Jameson, S. W. Leonard, J. 
M. Mathes. There were besides from that State S. 
K. Hoshour, Milton B. Hopkins, Benjamin Frank- 
lin, John M. Bramwell. From the long list of 
churches I can note only a few representatives: 
James Challen, D. S. Burnet, B. U. Watkins, James 
S. Mitchell, William Hayes, John T. Powell, J. J. 
Moss, James M. Henry, Jonas Hartzell, T. J. Mur- 
dock, William Pinkerton, from Ohio; Dr. John 
Shackleford, John Young, W. B. Mooklar, C. J. 
Smith, Dr. L. I,. Pinkerton, William Morton, J. T. 
Johnson, R. C. Ricketts, H. T. Anderson, Carroll 
Kendrick, Waller Small, S. B. Bell, from Ken-, 
tucky; Newton Shorty Dr. J. T. Barclay, Prof. W. 
K. Pendleton, from Virginia; Robert B. Fife, W. H. 
Hopson, from Missouri; H. D. Palmer, from Illi- 
nois; Walter Scott, from Pennsylvania, and Richard 
Hawley, from Michigan. 

Of such splendid material the convention of 1849 
was composed. These names should not be forgot- 
ten. Brethren of the reformation, does our relig- 
ious history know nobler men than this glorious 
company who came to represent you in this first 
national convention? Did these men understand 
the great cause for which we have now battled 



no Reformation of the Ni?tetee7ith Century 

almost a century? Could any have had it at heart 
more than they? 

An indication of the spirit of piety and of a deep 
earnestness of purpose that pervaded the convention 
is seen in the following resolution offered by the 
venerable William Moiton, and passed with hearty 
unanimity, before any business was transacted: 

''''Resolved unanimously^ That it is the duty of 
every member of this convention, in entering on the 
duties devolving upon him, to do so with the love 
of God in his heart, the fear of God before his mind, 
and with an eye single to his glory and the good of 
man; and that every personal and party feeling of 
pride, selfishness and worldly ambition be wholly 
laid aside." 

THE WORK OF THE CONVENTION. 

On Wednesday forenoon, October 24, the first 

►report on the order of business was presented by 

Walter Scott. It was divided into three parts: 

T. Evangelical matters; 2. Ecclesiastical matters; 

3. Miscellaneous matters. 

Under the first head the committee introduced 
three resolutions; the first recommended the A77ieri' 
can Christian Bible Society^ now in the fourth year 
of its existence; it was organized in 1845. "^^^ 
second, '''-Resolved^ That in the opinion of this con- 
vention the American Christian Bible Society should 
so change or arrange its constitution as to add a 
missionary department, to be under the direction of 
its board, for the purpose of sustaining the procla- 



Introdzictory Period ill 

mation of the Gospel among the destitute in the 
United States and its territories first, and then in 
foreign lands where its means will enable it to act 
officially in that department." 

The third resolution was, ''That this convention 
recommend to our churches not to countenance as a 
preacher any man who is not sustained or acknowl- 
edged by two or more churches." 

There had been much difference of opinion about 
the propriety of a separate Bible Society. In the 
judgment of many of our wisest men, among them 
A. Campbell, the American and Foreign Bible 
Society offered to us all we desired. A. Campbell 
was always on the liberal side of great questions like 
this one. The Bible, he held, was too universally 
the property of Christendom to justify a society for 
its safe-guarding and distribution in our own hands. 
Yet such an institution had a strong support at that 
time among our brethren. The resolution was 
finally passed in the following form: 

''''Resolved^ That the Bible Society, known by the 
name of the A^nerican Christian Bible Society^ be 
and hereby is recommended by this convention to 
the cordial support of the brethren." In a few 
years, when the Bible Union entered upon its work, 
it was abolished, and we united heartily with the 
Baptists in this new enterprise. The Publication 
Society^ likewise located at Cincinnati, met the same 
fate at last. 

The third resolution, relative to unworthy 
preachers, expressed a widely prevailing concern 
among us at the time, and had been much discussed 



112 Reformation of the Nineteenth Century 

in our journals. Walter Scott said on this occasion: 
"I never feel so mucli like being angry, as when I 
am compelled to sit in the pulpit with men of 
doubtful character. I feel degraded by the con- 
tact." George Campbell, one of the delegates of 
the Indiana State meeting, said he had been espe- 
cially instructed to try to secure the churches 
against such impostors and traveling vagrants. 
Carroll Kendrick finally offered this resolution: 

^^ Resolved^ That this convention recommends to 
the congregations to countenance no evangelist who 
is not well reported of for piety and proper evangel- 
ical qualification, and that they be rigid and critical 
in the examination of such reports." 

The convention, in discussing such questions and 
in passing resolutions on them, was extremely care- 
ful to assume no authority over the churches; this 
was constantly expressed. Nothing sets forth in 
clearer light the character of the men who consti- 
tuted this assembly than their earnestness relative 
to the purity of the ministry. After much discus- 
sion the following preamble and resolution were 
agreed on and passed: 

"Whereas, It appears that the cause of Chris- 
tianity has suffered from the imposition of false 
brethren upon the churches; therefore — 

''''Resolved^ That we recommend to the churches 
the importance of great care and rigid examination 
before they ordain men to the office of the evangel- 
ist." 

Immediately after this vote Carroll Kendrick 's 
resolution was also passed. 

As the question of unworthy preachers, from 



Introductory Period 113 

whom in our early years we bad suffered much, was 
a matter not of local but of general concern, the con- 
vention from all quarters bad been asked to consider 
it and offer its advice to the churches. Beyond all 
doubt the action of the convention had a very salu- 
tary effect on the churches. 

An important fact should be noted here, as an 
instructive part of the history of this first national 
convention. 

As stated in the introduction of this chapter, for a 
number of years the subject of organization, co-oper- 
ation and edification had occupied with constantly 
increasing interest and urgency the minds of the 
thoughtful of our brotherhood. Many special ques- 
tions, of more or less practical moment, had come 
to the front during this period of inquiry and dis- 
cussion. Most, if not all of them, have long since 
been set at rest with the intelligent of our people. 

When the subject of a general convention came to 
be discussed, many thought that such a convocation 
would be the opportune place to settle such matters, 
a capital occasion for a sort of morally authoritative 
deliverance on all subjects of dispute among us. " 
And this effort was made at Cincinnati, but without 
any success. 

It is gratifying to me to be able to state here that 
the admirable wisdom of the convention refused to 
entertain such questions, and confined the meeting 
strictly to the subjects legitimately before it — an 
admirable example to our national conventions 
to-day. Dr. Wayland bitterly complained in his 
day that the Baptist missionary assemblies were 
annoyed in the same way. 



XI. 

THE FORMATION OF THE MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 

It was manifest on the first assembling of the con- 
vention that the chief burden on the hearts of the 
brethren was the organizing of a General Missionary'- 
Society. 

As soon as the matters of secondary importance, 
already noticed in this chapter, w^ere disposed of, the 
real question that had called together this national 
assembly at once with power asserted its supremacy. 

The extended letter addressed to the convention 
by the State meeting of Indiana among other things 
declared: 

"We feel deeply interested, brethren, in the sub- 
ject of evangelical operations, and are fully satisfied 
that we outrht to form a reofularlv ors^anized mission- 
ary society, for the purpose of sending the gospel in 
the hands of a living ministry to all the destitute, 
uncultivated portions of the Lord's great field — 
which he declares is 'the world.' It is our hope — 
entertained with the strongest desire of being real- 
ized — that this subject may receive a due amount of 
attention during the sessions of your meeting, and 
that such a society will be formed ere you adjourn." 

This letter was brought by a committee composed 
of L. H. Jameson, John O'Kane and S. W. Leonard. 
It was read to the convention by John O'Kane, who 
in earnest words explained the position of the Indi- 
ana brethren on the general resolutions communi- 
cated in the letter. 

(114) 



Introductory Period 115 

J. T. Jolinson, on the afternoon of Wednesday, 
arose and said: 

"I wish to know if the object of this convention 
is not to inquire into the expediency of forming a 
missionary society. Have we not all the right of ex- 
pression on this subject? Let us give full opportu- 
nity for discussion." 

On Wednesday afternoon he offered these resolu- 
tions: 

''^ Resolved^ That a missionary society, as a means 
to concentrate and dispense the wealth and benevo- 
lence of the brethren of the reformation in an effort 
to convert the world, is both scriptural and expe- 
dient. 

'•^Resolved., That a committee of seven be appoint- 
ed to prepare a constitution for said society." 

While the question of a separate Bible Society was 
under discussion C. Kendrick declared that he 
"thought the missionary society might supersede the 
necessity of a Bible society." 

While the constitution of the new enterprise was 
under discussion, Prof. Pendleton offered this resolu- 
tion: 

''^ Resolved^ That the missionary society contem- 
plated by this action be presented to the brethren as 
the chief object of importance among our benevo- 
lent enterprises." 

On all sides utterances of the same tenor were 
heard expressing the feeling that pervaded the as- 
sembly and of the people they represented. J. T. 
Johnson's resolutions were adopted with spirit and 
without debate; so, also, that of Prof. Pendleton. 



Ii6 Reformation of the Nineteenth Ce7itury 

The convention was prepared for the chief work that 
had brought it together. 

The committee called for by J. T. Johnson's sec- 
ond resolution was announced by the chairman, D. 
S. Burnet. It consisted of John O'Kane, J. T. John- 
son, H. D. Palmer, Walter Scott, John T. Powell 
and Dr. L,. L<. Pinkerton. These were the men who 
reported the constitution of the first General Mission- 
ary Society; it was adopted without material change, 
and the constitution in its essential features has re- 
mained the same to the present day. The commit- 
tee was composed of the best intelligence and piety 
of the convention. 

When the session opened on Thursday morning 
the missionary cause took full possession of the con- 
Tention. The second resolution, calling for a gen- 
eral missionary department in the Bible society, 
came up in the regular order of business. As soon 
as it was read it was instantly, by a motion, laid on 
the table; and J. B. New, of Indiana, moved that the 
report of the committee appointed to prepare a con- 
stitution for a missionary society be now heard. John 
O'Kane read the report, which consisted of twelve 
articles, and then moved its adoption, and "that this 
convention recommend the immediate formation of 
such a society as contemplated in the report; and 
that for this purpose the convention adjourn for one 
hour" — all of which was agreed to at once and with 
great animation. 

When the assembly reconvened the constitution 
was discussed, article by article, and with immate- 
rial changes adopted with remarkable unanimity at 



Introductory Period 117 

the evening session. The name of the society, as 
first reported, was The Christian Home and Foreign 
Missionary Society. For the sake of simplicity and 
because the missionary field was held to be one — the 
whole world — the name was changed to The Ameri- 
can Christian Missionary Society. 

Some discussion was occasioned by the eleventh 
article, which fixed the annual meeting of the society 
at Cincinnati. This article was finally passed in the 
following form: 

''The annual meeting shall be held in Cincinnati, 
on the Wednesday after the third Lord's day in Oc- 
tober, or at such time and place as shall have been 
designated by a previous annual meeting.'' 

On Thursday evening, after the society had thus 
been fully organized, the enthusiasm of the conven- 
tion in its behalf became intense. The scenes ex- 
pressive of joyful satisfaction that characterized that 
evening's session could never be forgotten by those 
who witnessed them. Congratulations were offered 
on all sides. 

It was already late when a motion was made "that 
now an opportunity be offered to become life mem- 
bers and life directors." The consummation of the 
enterprise that had been the supreme thought of the 
convention, and the earnest desire of a great people 
that had now awakened to the greatest duty of the 
Church, made men and women forget the three long 
sessions of the day, and that the hour for adjourn- 
ment was at hand. 

Well do I remember, even after fifty years, the 
promptness and ardor of the response to this "op- 



ii8 Reformation of the Nineteenth Cent my 

portunity." From all quarters of the house names 
of life members and directors were crowded in, so 
that the secretaries repeatedly begged the brethren 
to "hold on" and give them time to record these 
names. In the list of these first life members were 
such names as H. D. Palmer, A. D. Fillmore, W. 
H. Hopson, George Campbell, L. L. Pinkerton, Car- 
roll Kendrick, R. C. Rice, Dr. John Shackleford, 
Elijah Goodwin, John O'Kane, J. B. New, Dr. J. T. 
Barclay (himself, wife and three children), to wdiom 
this w^as a day of supreme exultation, for he was 
a missionary Christian par excellence. Several 
churches constituted their preachers and others life 
members. Prominent brethren whose names had 
long been cherished by the brotherhood received on 
this occasion an evidence of their esteem and affec- 
tion. In a few moments D. S. Burnet, S. K. Hosh- 
our, J. T. Johnson, James Challen, Walter Scott, J. 
J. Moss, L. H. Jameson and A. Campbell were made 
life directors by the joyful suffrages oi the men and 
women in the convention. There was great enthu- 
siasm amonof the wornen. Several brethren became 
life directors by their own contributions; these led 
the way. 

It is a great delight, after half a, century, to look 
over the names of the men and women wdio at the 
hour of its birth gave their adhesion and strong pecu- 
niary support to our first general missionary society. 
I knew them all, and rejoice to testify also that they 
remained the friends of this glorious cause to the end 
of their days. I thank God that I yet live to tell 
the story of that great day . 



Ijitroductory Period 119 

*'In a few minutes," as reported in the Millennial 
Harbinger, "two thousand five hundred and fifty dol- 
lars were subscribed by the members of the conven- 
tion alone to this most benevolent and laudable 
enterprise; "-including the contributions to the Bible 
and tract societies, in all about five thousand dollars. 

When we remember that this was our first effort of 
this kind, and that our number at that time was per- 
haps less than one-fourth of what we are to-day, such 
an offering as this gave token of the generous inspir- 
ation of the convention. The States of Ohio, Ken- 
tucky and Indiana were the strongest then in the 
number of our brotherhood, and the largest also in 
representation in the convention and in contributions 
to the several enterprises it advocated. 

I am sorely tempted to describe some of the strik- 
ing scenes that characterized this remarkable session, 
but lack of space forbids it. I have yet before me 
the remarkable form of "the old man eloquent," 
Henry D. Palmer, whose features strikingly recalled 
those of Henry Clay, as he stood forth in the midst 
of us and poured out over the audience his earnest, 
apostolic appeal, in words of deepest pathos, in be- 
half of the universal mission of the doctrine of the 
cross. He had made the great apostolic plea on the 
banks of the Tennessee and the Mississippi years be- 
fore the Campbells came to America. Blessed be his 
memory ! 

THE LAST ACTS OF THK CONVKNTION. 

As stated in the beginning of this chapter, while 
the formation of a missionary society was chief in 



I20 Reformation of the Nineteenth Ceittury 

the intention, of the convention, its purpose, em- 
braced still other interests vital to the welfare of the 
churches. As A. Campbell had expressed it, "The 
attention of such assemblies is to be devoted to gen- 
eral objects, such as cannot be so well dispensed or 
attended to by particular congregations." Such was 
the feeling of this convention. 

A select committee, therefore, composed of D. S. 
Burnet, John Young, S. Ayers, H. D. Palmer, J. T. 
Johnson, C. Kendrick, W. K. Pendleton, Walter 
Scott, J. T. Barclay and John O'Kane, was ap- 
pointed to report resolutions — advisory and com- 
mendatory — that would express the mind of the 
convention on matters of serious importance to the 
church general. The report of the committee, as 
finally adopted, will show what were some of the 
grave questions that were at that day before the 
churches; it was as follows: 

''''Resolved^ That in all our deliberations, in all our 
efforts to organize God's kingdom, the moral rather 
than the material purposes of our organization be 
kept steadily before us; that we have the conversion 
of the world and the perfection of the brotherhood 
in holiness always before us. 

"Whereas, It is essential to a general union in 
the furtherance of the cause of our blessed Re- 
deemer, that the brethren should confer with each 
other after truth; and 

"Whereas, The cultivation of the social and re- 
ligious sympathies is necessary to bring into zealous 
and efficient action the energies of the brethren; 
therefore 



Introductory Period I2i 

*''• Resolved^ That we respectfully recommend to the 
churches the propriety of forming among themselves 
State and district meetings, to be held annually and 
quarterly, in such way as may seem expedient; and 
that the churches in their primary assemblies be 
requested to send to their annual meetings, by their 
messengers, the number of members in their respec- . 
tive coiigregations, with the names of their post- 
offices. 

''''Resolved^ That we strongly recommend to the 
churches the duty and importance of organizing and 
establishing Sunday-schools in every congregation. 

''''Resolved^ That a committee of five be appointed 
to make out and publish a catalogue of such books 
as would be suitable for present use." 

The committee oii Sunday-school books was D. S. 
Burnet, J. J. Moss, C. Kendrick, W. Scott and W. 
K. Pendleton. An advisory committee was ap- 
pointed consisting of I. Brrett, A. S. Hayden, A. 
Campbell, S. S. Church, L. H. Jameson, S. G. 
Pinkerton, J. B. Ferguson, J. T. Jones and A. 
Graham. 

Other resolutions urged on the brethren were the 
strict observation of the lyord's day "in conversation 
and behavior; especially that they may refrain from 
starting, and, if possible, from prosecuting any jour- 
ney on this holy day," impressing "the need of. 
increase of personal piety and devotion, especially 
in reading the Scriptures, secret prayer and family 
instruction and worship," 

A committee of three was appointed "to prepare 
a concise and appropriate address to our Christian 



122 Refor^nation of the Nineteenth Ce7itury 

churclies and brethren generally, embodying and 
recommending the sentiments, principles and meas- 
ures agreed upon in tbis convention, to be published 
together with . the report of the proceedings of the 
convention." 

This body of resolutions, which so fittingly closed 
the work of this memorable assemblv, sets forth in a 
clear light the spirit and aims that filled the hearts 
of all present. The welfare of Zion, the universal 
triumph of the kingdom of God over the earth, were 
in every word and every act. " None better than the 
men here assembled understood the character, the 
value and the objects of the great cause we plead; 
they were its pioneers. None, too, ever compre- 
hended better its power and destiny as a reforma- 
tion leading to a restoration of apostolic Christian- 
ity, in doctrine, form, discipline, spirit and life, and 
to a mighty missionary activity that should seek the 
uttermost limits or the earth. None ever could and 
did understand better the wisdom, the duty and 
necessity of our establishing large and strong and 
well organized enterprises to carry into execution 
the great commission of our King to -conquer the 
world for him. It is because these "men of God" 
felt deeply our shortcomings and our wants that hin- 
dered the realization of all these ardent desires and 
hopes, that they thus met together, spoke and acted 
in this memorable convention. 

And their work was not in vain; their hopes have 
been realized, their prayers answered; their faith in 
God, in his truth, in his church, has been gloriously 



Introductory. Period 123 

vindicated, aud will be still more wondrously vindi- 
cated as the years shall pass along. 

Study the resolutions and acts of this convention, 
embod3'ing its convictions and aims, and you will 
see that they have all been justified and realized by 
succeeding history among us. The States have long 
since organized from ocean to ocean domestic mis- 
sionary enterprises, many of them remarkably suc- 
cessful. The great Sunday-school activity in the 
churches has become a mighty power among us. And 
so of ministerial education, and the other noble am- 
bitions for the cause of God that burned in the 
hearts of the "glorious apostolic company" of our 
First National Convention. Let the memory .of 
these men of God and of their work be ever precious 
to us ' 



Period of Organization 



B. B. TYLER 



PERIOD OF ORGANIZATION 



THE FIRST MISSION FIELD. 

We are now entering upon a new period of our 
religions development. The forty years preceding 
the first general Christian Missionary Convention, 
counting from the Declaration and Address in 1809, 
may properly be regarded as an introductory or pre- 
paratory period. The leaders of the movement 
within that period were engaged with problems of 
doctrine and local church organization growing out 
of the application of the rule of religious reforma- 
tion which had been adopted to existing conditions 
and needs. They had little time to consider the 
claims which the heathen world, or the unevangel- 
ized regions of our own land, made upon them, and 
to work out the problem of general co-operation as 
an essential condition of carrying on successfully 
such work. The time had now come, however, 
when these questions could no longer be postponed. 
This new religious force which had arisen must bear 
its share of the burden of the world's evangelization. 
It must organize its local congregations for co-opera- 
tion, and it must establish schools and religious 
journals to meet the growing demands upon it as an 

independent religious movement. Hence the period 

(127) 



128 Reformatio}! of the Nineteenth Century 

from 1849 to i860 may be described as a period of 
greater activity along missionary and educational 
lines. Not that doctrinal discussions had lost their 
interest, as yet, but that newer and more practical 
problems thrust themselves upon the reformers. 

The story of the organization of the American 
Christian Missionary Society is fresh in our minds 
as told by an eye-witness of and participant in the 
proceedings of the convention in which this mother 
missionary association was born. 

The first question of importance to be decided was 
in regard to the definite field to be cultivated. This 
was a grave question. The selection was made with 
deliberation. 

"The field is the world;" but what portion of this 
wide field ought we now to enter? This was the 
question. It was put in this sensible way: "What 
part of this extended field is now most important, 
and in the end will yield the largest and most satis- 
factory results?" 

It was said that if immediate results are consid- 
ered, the Karens are those to whom we should go 
with the good news. If the largest single field is to 
be taken, and because it is the largest, then we 
ought to go to China. If ignorance and wretched- 
ness are to decide this question, then we ought to go 
alone to those who are in idolatry. If contiguity is 
to be the controlling thought, the people with whom 
to begin our work are the North American Indians. 
"But the dictates of a discriminating judgment and 
sound policy plainly indicate," said a writer in the 
Christian Age, understood at the time to be Dr. 



Period of Organisation 129 

James T. Barclay, ^'that our first efforts should be 
expended more in reference to permanent effect and 
extended influence in order to ultimate success than 
to immediate results, and hence our labors should be 
devoted to that nation which, when evangelized, 
will exert the most powerful and widespread influ- 
ence." 

This principle guided those in authority in the 
newly-organized society in the selection of our first 
foreign mission field. This rule of action caused 
them to decide against going with the life-imparting 
message to the Chinese, the Karens, the North 
American Indians, the idolaters of Africa and Poly- 
nesia. It also prevented the inauguration of an 
effort in behalf of what were called "the semi-Chris- 
tianized nations of Europe," and the "isolated 
Japanese, although they never yet have heard the 
glad tidings of salvation." This was in 1849, ^^^ 
years before the first Protestant missionaries reached 
that most interesting people. 

"Permanent effect and extended influence" could 
not be seen in any of the directions here indicated. 
With their honest, earnest eyes fixed on what 
seemed, and seems, to be "a sound rule of action," 
the good men who had been elected to guide the 
infant society in its initial efforts said, after due con- 
sideration, and with one voice: "The first offer oi 
'the ancient gospel' should be made to the ancient 
people of God — the sons and daughters of Abra- 
ham." Their evangelization, it was believed, prom- 
ised "permanent effect and extended influence" be- 
yond that of any other people. 



130 Re/ormatto7i of the Nineteenth CentuTy 

It was also said that there has been a general neg- 
lect pf the Jews on the part of the friends of mis- 
sions. Notwithstanding this indifference on the 
part of Christians to the spiritual welfare of the chil- 
dren of Abraham, and their apparent abandonment 
of God, it was believed that they are even now 
"beloved for their father's sake," and it w^as said 
that "no nation on earth presents so strong a claim 
on our consideration as this noble race — none for 
whose conversion such strong inducements are pre- 
sented — none of whose recovery such glorious conse- 
quences are predicted." It was also said that "to 
no people on earth are we so indebted as to the 
Jews, and nothing less than a great missionary 
effort in their behalf can cancel the obligation rest- 
ing upon us that 'through our mercy they may 
obtain mercy.' " "The evangelization of no people 
wall promote the interests of Christianity to such a 
degree as will the evangelization of the Jews." 
"Were they once converted to Christianity, what a 
noble army of missionaries would their circum- 
stances and natural endowments constitute them ! 
Judah and Benjamin to the lapsed churches of 
Greece and Rome, within whose territories they are 
principally dispersed, and the other ten tribes to the 
Mohammedans and pagans among whom they are 
scattered." "They are an energetic -people." 
"They hate idolatry." "They dwell in every 
nation under heaven." "There is no language 
nor speech where their voice is not heard." "In 
all that pertains to missionary qualifications no peo- 
ple in the world can compare with the children of 



Pej'iod of Orgaiiization 131 

Abraham." The signs of the times also seemed to 
be auspicious for a successful presentation of the 
gospel to this historic people. In the beginning of 
Christianity the missionaries of the Christ preached 
exclusively to this people for years. They con- 
tinued, in fact, to do so until "they were at. last 
specially summoned by the Holy Spirit to the work 
of foreign missions among the heathen." Even 
after this, wherever they went it was their custom 
to offer salvation first through the Christ to the 
Jews. Paul felt such an interest in the people of 
Israel that he expressed a willingness to be anath- 
ema from Christ for their sake. Can we, who plead 
for the restoration of Christianity, remain indiffer- 
ent to the spiritual welfare of these people and be 
innocent before God? 

Moved by such considerations they decided to 
send "the ancient gospel" to the people of Israel. 

The next question was as to the place in which to 
begin work. 

It was known that multitudes of Jews resided in 
Salonica — the ancient Thessalonica. They were 
also numerous in Constantinople, in Smyrna and in 
other cities on the shores of the Mediterranean. 

After considering the claims of various places in 
which the people whose evangelization had been 
determined upon lived in large numbers, it was 
decided that "the Holy I^and is the place where we 
should first establish a mission." It was regarded 
and spoken of 'as "the great center of sympathies" 
where "a blow struck" "would be felt much more 
sensibly than anywhere else." The land of Pales- 



132 Reformation of the Nineteenth Century 

tine seemed to be the strate^c point in tlie evangel- 
ization of the Jews throughout the world. 

The ultimate restoration of the Jews to this their 
ancient home was generally accepted as the teaching 
of the Bible. How appropriate, how wise, how 
truly Christian, previous to this event, to bring the 
Jews residing in the Holy Land into the fellowship 
of the Christ and into the enjoyment of "the great 
salvation ! ' ' 

At that time the Turkish government, in control 
of Palestine, was believed to be favorable to the 
Christian religion. An enthusiastic advocate of the 
Holy lyand as the place in which to begin work said 
that "twelve moons ago apostasy from Islamism to 
Christianity was punished with death and confisca- 
tion; now," said he, "such encouragement is offered 
to Franks" — a term for Protestant Christians — "as 
almost to constitute a premium for Christianity." 
"The Crescent," he said, "truly is rapidly waning, 
and the Euphrates fast drying up." 

It was thought that from Palestine as a base, an 
effectual assault could be made on the religion of the 
Arabian Prophet. "The last sands of the prophetic 
period assigned to the Moslem Desolator are now 
running out." "The Little Horn of the East shall 
gore no more, and no more shall the desolating 
abomination practice and prosper!" It must in 
candor be confessed that in connection with the 
foregoing apparently practical views, there was a 
bit of sentiment. 

Much was thought and spoken about what was 



Period of Organization 133 

called the "ancient gospel," and the place in which 
it was first preached. 

"Is it nothing to us,'^ they exclaimed, "is it 
nothing to ns that the fairest portion of the earth — 
the garden of the Lord, in whose fertile soil and 
genial clime grew the rose of Sharon and the lily of 
the valley — whose pure apostolic Christianity once 
flourished in all its glory, is now in possession of 
the 'worst of the heathen?' Has not Jerusalem long 
enough been 'trodden down of the Gentiles?' Are 
the mercies of the Lord toward his once favored 
land and people clean gone forever? No, he is 
waiting to be gracious. How long shall it be, then, 
before the fountain again be opened to the house of 
David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and 
uncleanness? Are the pools of Jerusalem and the 
waters of Jordan no more to be the emblematic grace 
of the penitent believer?" 



II. 

OUR FIRST FOREIGN MISSIONARY. 

After the selection of the people and the field, 
with whom and in which to begin work, there was 
no difficulty in securing the services of a man emi- 
nently qualified by nature, education and grace to 
work among the Jews in Jerusalem. This man was 
James Turner Barclay. Dr. Barclay was born in 
Hanover County, Va., May 22, 1807. He was of 
Scotch-Irish descent on his father's and English on 
his mother's side. His father was Robert Barclav. 
Miss Sarah Coleman Turner became the wife of Mr. 
Robert Barclay, January i, 1800. The father of our 
Dr. J. T. Barclay died when the future missionary, 
preacher and author was but a small boy. The lad 
received no special religious training, although his 
mother was a Baptist and an excellent woman. In 
the course of time the widow of Robert Barclay be- 
came the wife of Captain Harris, a wealthy tobacco 
planter of Albemarle County, Va. Captain Harris 
was very kind to Mrs. Barclay's sons — Thomas and 
James. He caused them to be educated in the Uni- 
versity of Virginia. Thomas studied law, and 
James, after graduating from the University of Vir- 
ginia, graduated in medicine from the University of 
Pennsylvania. He was, however, never deeply in- 
terested in his profession. He was by nature relig- 
ious. He appears to have been a born missionary-. 
His passion was to be good and to do good. 

(134) 



Period of Organization 135 

When James T. Barclay was twenty-three years 
old he married Miss Julia Ann Sowers. She was at 
the time of her marriage less than seventeen years 
old. Her father was an elder in the Presbyterian 
Church and a gentleman of property. Miss Sowers', 
education and social manners were those of a high- 
bred Virginia lady. She was a fit companion of the 
noble man whose wife she became. 

At the time of their marriage neither Dr. Barclay 
nor his wife was professed Christian, but by and 
by they confessed Christ, and united with the Pres- 
byterian Church in Charlottesville, Va. 

Mrs. Barclay was a missionary enthusiast. When 
she was yet a young woman she sent her jewels, 
among which were her diamond engagement ring, 
her set of pearls, a set of cut coral and a handsome 
diamond pin, to Dr. Converse, of Richmond, Va., to 
be sold for the benefit of the missionary cause. 
While they were members of the Presbyterian 
Church Dr. and Mrs. Barclay offered themselves to 
the Presbyterian Mission Board to serve as missiona- 
ries in China. Thomas Barclay, a short time before 
this, was drowned in the James River while bathing. 
James was, therefore, the only son of his mother. 
Against his departure to a foreign mission field she, 
therefore, protested with great earnestness. Her 
tears and entreaties prevailed. James decided, at 
least for the present, to remain at home. 

Dr. Barclay after this heard R. ly. Coleman, a 
prominent preacher in those days among the Disci- 
ples in Virginia, preach the "ancient gospel," as it 
was called. Under the preaching of Mr. Coleman 



136 Reformation of the Nineteenth Century 

he became convinced that infant baptism had no 
foundation in the New Testament, and that the bap- 
tism of believers was required by the teaching of 
Jesus and his apostles. He also learned that baptism 
— Christian baptism — is the immersion in water of a 
penitent believer in the name of the lyord Jesus, and 
into the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of 
the Holy Spirit. He and his wife were, therefore, 
baptized in the James River, and identified them- 
selves with the Disciples of Christ. 

This w^as an occasion of great grief to their par- 
ents. His mother said that though she had lost two 
husbands and a son, the fact that James had become 
a ■ 'Campbellite" was the occasion of the greatest 
grief she had ever experienced. 

In the selection of Dr. James T. Barclay to go as 
a missionary to Jerusalem there was the choice and 
devotion to a most holy service of the best of the 
flock. 

His paternal pedigree ran back to Robert Barclay, 
the Quaker of the seventeenth century known as 
the author of the "Apology," or defense of the per- 
secuted Friends. His grandfather was a personal 
friend of George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. 
When the former was President, and the latter was 
Secretary of State, Mr. Barclay was appointed Con- 
sul General to France. He was also sent to Mo- 
rocco, and later was sent to Tangier as Consul 
General. 

Dr. and Mrs. Barclay, six years after the death of 
Thomas Jefferson, purchased Monticello, where they 
resided three years. 



Period of Organization 137 

Dr. Barclay was an enthusiast in science as well 
as in religion. He devoted much time to a study 
of chemistry and metallurgy, with especial reference 
to the prevention of counterfeiting and loss by abra- 
sion in handling of our hard money. The value of 
his services was recognized by those who were in a 
position to understand them. In 1857 he was ap- 
pointed by the President of the United States in spe- 
cial charge of the Philadelphia Mint. The results 
of his experiments were indorsed by Professors Rog- 
ers and Vatheck, eminent scientists of Philadelphia, 
who were appointed by the President to co-operate 
with him. So far was the value of his work in this 
department recognized that a bill was introduced in 
Congress to pay him $100,000, but failed by one vote 
to pass — that of Senator Mason, of Virginia. It is 
said that this was on account of a grudge that Mr. 
Mason entertained against Dr. Barclay — a feeling 
which had its origin during their student days in the 
University of Virginia. But the failure to secure 
this snug sum of money was chiefly on account of 
the Doctor's enthusiasm for the Jerusalem mission. 
Had he remained at home and looked after the busi- 
ness, as a shrewd man of the world would have done, 
the bill doubtless would have passed both houses of 
Congress and received the signature of the President. 
He seems, however, to have been utterly indifferent, 
personally, to the value of money. Dr. Barclay was 
liberal almost to a fault. He gave himself very lit- 
erally, with all that he possessed, to the work of the 
Master. 

When he tendered his services to the American 



138 Reformation of the Ninetee7ith Ceiitury 

Christian Missionary Society the offer included his 
family — Mrs. Barclay, his sons, Robert Gutzlaff, 
aged eighteen, John Judson, aged sixteen, and his 
daughter Sarah, aged thirteen, who became the wife 
of the Hon. Augustus Johnson, United States Con- 
sul at the Island of Cyprus. At the time of the 
oro^anization of the society he and his family became 
life members by the payment of the stipulated fee. 
He also assisted by money contributions to make 
others members of the society. The abiding mis- 
sionary interest of Dr. and Mrs. Barclay is seen in 
the names of their sons — Gutzlaff and Judson. 

On the fifth day of October, 1848 — more than a 
year before the organization of the American Chris- 
tian Missionary Society — Dr. James T. Barclay ad- 
dressed a letter to the corresponding secretary of the 
Christian Bible Society, organized in 1845 ^^ Cincin- 
nati, in which he said: "Should your deliberations 
result in the establishment of a Foreign Missionary 
Society or department, or should it be deemed expe- 
dient to engage seriously in the cause of . foreign mis- 
sions, on any scriptural plan — which the good Lord 
grant — in my estimation, the time has come when 
we not only 7nay^ but shoidd and imist^ attempt im- 
mediately to disseminate the truth as it is in Jesus 
among the benighted pagans, both by colporteur 
operations and regular foreign missions. Would 
that I had the wealth of a Croesus to contribute to 
this all-important enterprise! But of silver and gold 
I have little — very little — yet have I a heart to at- 
tempt whatever such feeble instrumentality can be 
expected to accomplish; and should we organize a 



Peinod of Organization 139 

missionary body, as I trust we will, and some be 
found in our ranks willing to 'hazard tbeir lives' for 
the purpose of declaring the name of the Lord Jesus 
Christ to them that 'sit in the darkness and in the 
shadow of death,' cheerfully will I say, ^Here am I; 
seiid me, ' ' ' 



III. 

OUR FIRST MISSIONARY AND HIS WORK. 

Thk American Christian Missionary Society was 
organized October 26, 1849. ^^ a meeting of the 
board November 12, of the same year, a letter was 
read from Dr. Barclay, in which he expressed his 
willingness to go to Jerusalem, or such other field as 
the board may direct. With this communication 
he inclosed a certificate from the church in Scotts- 
•ville, Va., the place of his residence at the time, in 
reference to his Christian character and qualifications 
for the work. This was characteristic of the man. 
Dr. W. H. Hopson said of Dr. Barclay that he was 
' ' criminally modest . " His modesty would not permit 
him to assume that the members of the board knew 
his Christian character and eminent qualifications 
for the work to which he proposed to devote his life. 
After the reading of the letter and certificate it was 
resolved by the board "that we most cordially enter- 
tain the proposition of our beloved brother, and that 
the corresponding secretary be requested to inform 
him immediately of this expression of the board." 
At a meeting eight days later James Challen, from 
the "Committee on Fields of I^abor," reported in 
fa vol ot "one mission on the foreign field, and to us, 
at present, Jerusalem would be the most desirable 
point." This action was, however, but a formal 
recoo^nition and indorsement of what had been de- 

termined. The reasons for the selection of the peo- 

(140) 



Period of Organisation 141 

pie of Israel and the Holy City have been, in epit- 
ome, placed before the reader. x\t a meeting of the 
board held January 15, 1850, another letter from Dr. 
Barclay was read which, according to the minutes, 
was "favorable to the Jerusalem mission, and ex- 
pressive of a desire to engage in the benevolent and 
self-denying enterprise." The corresponding secre- 
tary was "instructed to write to Brother Barclay to 
ascertain what would be the expense of outfit and 
salary; and whether he could go by the first of next 
September, provided funds could be obtained." It 
was on the eleventh day of June, 1850, that James 
T. Barclay, M. D., was employed as an agent of the 
American Christian. Missionary Society to engage in 
teaching, preaching and the practice of medicine 
among the Jews in Jerusalem. Our first foreign mis- 
sionary was a medical missionary. 

The following from a letter addressed to "the 
Board of the American Christian Missionary Soci- 
ety," under date of October 30, 1849, ^^^^^ days after 
the organization of the association, reveals so much 
of the man in whom we are now especially inter- 
ested that it is inserted at this point: 

"I have been a member of the Church of Christ 
about ten years, and during the greater part of that 
time an elder; but have only been engaged in the 
public proclamation of the Word during the past 
year. To be able to 'endure hardness as a good sol- 
dier of Jesus Christ' is deemed an indispensable 
requisite on the part of him who would lead the self- 
denying life of a missionary of the cross, and I bless 
my Creator and Preserver that, though I am now in 



142 Reformation of the Nineteenth Centiuy 

the forty-third year of my age, my health is uni- 
formly and unusually good, being blessed with an ex- 
cellent constitution and great powers of endurance. 
I have some acquaintance with the L<atin, Greek and 
French languages, and such an aptitude for the 
acquisition of foreign tongues that no insuperable 
obstacle exists on this score. I am a regular gradu- 
ate of the medical profession, and although I have 
not been engaged in practice for some years, yet but 
little application would suffice to qualify me as a 
practitioner again. My acquaintance with the arts 
and sciences is quite extensive, and with some of 
them intimate — both theoretically and practically — ^ 
possessing great artistic and mechanical tact. I 
mention this because such attainments on the part of 
the missionary are esteemed very desirable, inasmuch 
as they tend to procure a favorable access to the 
heathen. 

"My wife, whose mind has long been exercised on 
this subject, cordially dedicates herself to the cause 
of missions, so far as her influence can be appropri- 
ately exerted. 

"The children whom God hath graciously given 
us — consisting of two sons, the one aged eighteen, 
the other fifteen, and a daughter only thirteen years 
of age — desire also to go unto the heathen with us, 
and thus be fellow-helpers to the truth in their re- 
spective spheres. Having long since made our 
God their God, and our people their people, it is nat- 
ural that they should desire to go where we go, lodge 
where we lodge, and die where we die; but so far as 
can be ascertained, they seem to be actuated in mak- 



Period of Organisation 143 

ing such a choice by higher motives than those that 
spring from mere filial affection. Their education, 
having been early commenced, is now nearly com- 
pleted on a somewhat liberal scale; and I am happy 
in the assurance that they possess more than an or- 
dinary share of piety and zeal, and are perfectly 
willing to do whatever they can, either now or here- 
after, in behalf of the perishing heathen. 

"Such a statement I deem due alike to you, to the 
cause and to ourselves." 

Much enthusiasm was excited among the brethren 
by the thought of beginning the work of missions in 
the city in which the gospel of the Son of God in its 
fullness was first preached. This finds echo in Presi- 
dent Campbell's annual address in 1853. The mis- 
sion has been inaugurated. The news from Dr. Bar- 
clay is full of encouragement. Some in the Holy 
City under his instruction have turned to the I^ord. 
Others seriously contemplate this step. Under these 
circumstances the convention assembled in Cincin- 
nati. Mr. Campbell said: 

"We have but one foreign mission station — a sta- 
tion, indeed, of all others the most appropriate to 
our profession — the ancient city of the great King, 
the city of David, on whose loftiest summit Zion, 
the ark of God, rested — the 'holy hill,' once the 
royal residence of Melchisedec, priest of the Most 
High God — the sacred Solyma, the abode of peace. 
There stood the tabernacle when its peregrinations 
ended. There stood the temple, the golden palace 
which Solomon built. It rested upon an hallowed 
foundation — Mount Moriah, a little hill of Zion. To 



144 Reformation of the Nineteenth Ccnttcry 

that place tlie tribes of God went up to worship. There 
was the Ark of the Covenant, with its table engraven 
by the hand of God. The Shekinah was there; 
Calvary was there, and there our Lord was crucified, 
buried and rose again. There clusters every hal- 
lowed association that binds the heart of man to 
man. There Christ died, and there he revived. 
There the Holy Spirit, as the messenger of Christ, 
first appeared. There the gospel was first preached. 
There the first Christian baptism was administered. 
There the first Christian temple was reared, and 
thence the gospel was borne through Judea, Samaria, 
and to all the nations that ever heard it. Jerusalem, 
the city of the Great King, in the center of all di- 
vine radiations, the center of all spiritual attractions, 
and in its ruins it is an eternal monument of the 
justice, faithfulness and truth of God. * * * 

"One of the capital points of this Reformation is 
the location, in time and place, of the commence- 
ment of the reign of grace, or the kingdom of heav- 
en. The Christian ei'-a and the commencement of 
Chrisf s ChiLTch have long been confounded by every 
sect in Christendom. The materials of Solomon's 
Temple and of Christ's Church were mainly provided 
one generation before either of these was erected. 
The grand materials of Christianity, or the kingdom 
of Jesus Christ, are his life, death, burial, resurrec- 
tion, ascension and glorification in heaven. This 
last event occurred more than thirty-three years after 
his nativity. So that the Christian era and the 
commencement of Christ's reign or kingdom are one 
generation — thirty-four years — apart. The Holy 



Period of Organization 145 

Spirit, who is the life, the bliss and the glory of 
Christianity, was not given till Jesus Christ was 
glorified. Hence ^ JoJui the Harbinger and Jesus the. 
Messiah both lived and died tinder the Jezvish theoc- 
racy^ a fact that has much moral and evangelical 
bearing on the Christian profession, as exhibited by 
both Baptists and Pedobaptists. This alone should 
give direction to all our efforts in all missions, do- 
mestic or foreign. It is the only legitimate stand- 
point at which to place our Jacob staff when we com- 
mence a survey of the kingdom of heaven, or propose 
to build a tent for the God of Jacob — the Holy One 
of Israel, our King. Had we no other object than 
to give publicity and emphasis to this capital 
point, it is worthy the cause we plead, what- 
ever the success may be, to erect and establish 
our first foreign mission in the identical city where 
our lyord was crucified; where the Holy Spirit first 
descended as the Missionary of the Father and the 
Son; where the Christian gospel was first preached 
and the first Christian Church erected. As a simple 
monument of our regard and reverence for this soul- 
emancipating position, it is worthy of all that it has 
cost us, and more than it will ever cost us, to have 
made our first foreign mission station near the cross, 
the mount of ascension of the Savior, and the thea- 
ter of the descension of the Holy Spirit as the sacred 
guest of the house which Jesus built." 

These words were spoken when news of an encour- 
aging character was by every mail coming to the 
board of managers from the Jerusalem Mission. 

The Christian Bible Society appropriated money 
10 



146 RefoDuation of tlie Xineteenth Century 

to be used by the missionary in the distribution of 
the sacred writings. This he did in the Arabic, 
Syriac, Syro-Chaldaic, Judeo-Arabic, Armenian, 
Turkish, modern Greek, German, Spanish and Ital- 
ian lang-uagres. 

The sum of $1,200.00 was appropriated by the 
board to convey Dr. Barclay and his family — wife 
and three children — to Jerusalem. In a meeting held 
October 14, 1850, after the departure of the mission- 
ary family, it was "Resolved, that the board place 
at the disposal of Brother Barclay $500.00, in addi- 
tion to the $1,200.00 already appropriated for his 
passage to Jerusalem and the support of the mission 
for one year." Surely, this accomplished gentle- 
man did not engage in this work from mercenary 
considerations! 

D. S. Burnet, who was present at and active in the 
organization of the American Christian ^Missionary 
Society, who was elected first vice-president, and 
who served the society as corresponding secretary in 
the years 1852-56, and 1862-63, said of Dr. Barclay: 

"His heart is in the work. He is also as much 
distinguished by an enlightened frugality as by the 
ardor of his zeal. He supremely believes that he is 
a trustee of the funds placed at his disposal, and he 
most obviously keeps a conscience void of offense in 
their management. Under such auspices the mis- 
sion, with the blessing of God, may be expected to 
do much good." 

In a letter dated "London, October 28, 1850," 
addressed to James Challen, at the time correspond- 
ing secretary, the missionary gives an account of his 



Period of Organisation 147 

efforts to secure the least expensive passage to Alex- 
andria. He "applied at the office of the Oriental 
and Peninsular Steamship Company," but says he 
"found the rates of charge so exorbitantly high" 
that he "was compelled to decline taking passage in 
that line." He "succeeded," at last, "in engaging 
. . . passage in the Hebe, of Glasgow, a little brig 
of only one hundred and eighty-four tons burthen." 
To still further reduce expenses it was decided to 
"do our own victualing," etc., the captain of "the 
Scotch brig" agreeing to "supply fuel and water." 
And so our first foreign missionary went out in lux- 
ury (?) to preach, and teach, and practice medicine 
among the unfortunate descendants of Abraham in 
the "City of the Great King." He left the United 
States about the middle of September, 1850, expect- 
ing to arrive at his destination by the close of the 
year. The voyage was unusually and unexpectedly 
tempestuous. January, 185 1, found him on the an- 
cient island of Melita. At one time, as a result of 
the storms through which "the little brig" passed, 
he says: "We were reduced almost entirely to a diet 
of crackers and cheese." He purchased some Arabic 
books in London. A good deal of time was given 
on the way to a study of that language. Some time 
was also given to Greek, Latin, Italian and French. 
He preached on shipboard, both publicly and pri- 
vately. He was "instant in season and out of 
season." 

The first letter from Jerusalem was dated "Febru- 
ary 28, 1851." While he was at Valetta, Island of 
Melita, he says: "Seeing, unexpectedly, that we 



148 Reformation of the Nineteenth Century 

could reach our destination more expeditiously and 
cheaply by a steamer which touched at Valetta 
while we were there, awaiting the sailing of the 
Hebe, than by pursuing our intended route via Alex- 
andria, we took passage in her, and in six or seven 
days had the pleasure of landing at Bey root." 

Just as he was leaving the Hebe he learned that 
"the captain and second mate had decided to be 
baptized." He says that he was ignorant of this 
until "the very moment of our embarkation arrived, 
when it was certainly too late to administer the ordi- 
nance," He adds: "One of the sailors had previ- 
ously requested me to baptize him, but such was his 
ignorance of 'the truth as it is in Jesus' (Episcopa- 
lian though he was) that I had come to the conclu- 
sion not to administer the ordinance until we should 
reach Alexandria, by which time he would have been 
sufficiently well 'instructed in the way of the lyord' 
to obey intelligently and satisfactorily." Dr. Bar- 
clay felt also that "the sailor would have been 
accompanied by others." The following words, 
taken from this letter, are worthy of especial atten- 
tion at the present time, as indicating the care with 
which "the fathers" received persons to the ordi- 
nance of baptism: 

"I have seen so much evil, both to the cause and 
to the preacher, result from hastily thrusting into 
'God's building' improper materials of 'wood, hay, 
stubble,' that I am, perhaps, too much afraid of pre- 
cipitancy, and acted with too much caution in this 
instance. But still, whether or not we should 'bap- 
tize the same hour' that application is made, must. 



Period of Organization 149 

in my opinion, depend somewhat on circumstances." 
The missionaries were detained five days in Bey- 
root before arrangements could be matured for prose- 
cuting the journey to Jerusalem. In order to avoid 
"heavy expenses" they determined to go by land. 
Moreover, time would be saved by going on horse- 
back. They traveled along the sea coast via Sidon, 
Tyre, Ptolemais and Joppa, and through Lydda to 
the Holy City. Nine days were spent in making the 
journey, exclusive of the Lord's day, which was 
spent in Sidon. All were in good health and fine 
spirits when Jerusalem was reached. But Dr. Bar- 
clay says: "If I may credit what I am told on all 
hands, there is no worse missionary ground on all 
the earth than this same city." He said in this 
same letter: "I yearn over this benighted people; 
ardently long for the time when I can proclaim to 
them, in their own language, the truth as it is in Je- 
sus." "There is no place on earth," he continues, 
"where the diffusion of the truth is more needed 
than this very spot." He found the most deter- 
mined opposition to his efforts on behalf of the peo- 
ple of Israel, from the beginning to the close of his 
work, on the part of men who called themselves 
Christians. He says that he was seriously advised 
by a clerical friend "to join the Anglican Church if 
I would escape persecution." He did not join the 
Anglican Church; he did suffer persecution. 

It would seem from Dr. Barclay's letters that he 
found hardly anything in Palestine as he expected 
when he left America for the Holy Land. He found 
missions and missionaries. He found that money 



150 Reformation of the Nineteenth Century 

was expended freely in Christianizing (?) the sons 
of Abraham. There was even extravagance in the 
use of money contributed in large sums by European 
Christians. He found that the Episcopalians, be- 
sides "several ordained missionaries, who speak the 
language fluently, have also here and in other parts 
of Palestine some half dozen native colporteurs, 
whom they give from 150 to 200 pounds sterling per 
annum simply to distribute tracts and the Script- 
ures." The amount that Dr. Barclay and his family 
were to receive being indicated by the action of 
the board, above quoted, no one ought to be surprised 
that in his account of this matter he added: "a 
sum, however, entirely too high." It was an occa- 
sion of surprise also to find "the bitter hatred of 
everything called Christian on the part of the Jews." 
He was amazed "to find such wide departure from 
the simplicity and purity of the faith once delivered 
to the saints on the part of those not only styling 
themselves Protestants, but claiming succession from 
the apostles!" 

Dr. J. T. Barclay and family left New York at 
noon, September 11, 1850, and arrived in Jerusalem 
at sunset, February 7, 1851. Upon his return to the 
United States, in 1854, he noted carefully that he 
had had an official connection with the Board of the 
xlmerican Christian Missionary Society just "four 
years, four months and four days." 

After a varied experience, in which there were 
signs of success which often did not realize their 
promise, and in which there was much opposition, 
not only from the Moslems, but from those who 



Period of Organization 151 

claimed to be Christians, it was decided to discon- 
tinue the mission. One thing, however, was devel- 
oped, and that was that in Dr. Barclay we had the 
spirit of true missionary heroism. It was no fault of 
his that the mission did not yield larger results. In 
addition to the few converts made. Dr. Barclay, at 
the suggestion of Drs. Robinson, Hacket, and oth- 
ers, gave attention to archaeological investigations 
with such diligence that, after his return to the 
United States, in 1854, he published a book of more 
than six hundred octavo pages, entitled "The City 
of the Great King; or, Jerusalem as it Was, as it Is, 
and as it Is to Be." This book was an honor to the 
Disciples of Christ. It did more to gain the favor- 
able attention of learned men than any book which, 
up to that time, had been written by one of our men. 
It is a monument of painstaking industry and ripe 
scholarship. Isaac Errett said of "The City of the 
Great King," by Dr. Barclay, and "Hadji in Syria," 
by Sarah Barclay, that "these are some of the first 
fruits of the Jerusalem Mission, which have given it 
character before the country, and are indirectly aid- 
ing to give ?/j character as a people." T\i^ North 
American Review^ the Christian Examiner (at the 
time the leading religious critical review of New 
England), the Presbyterian Quarterly^ with more 
than one hundred of the best literary and theolog- 
ical authorities in this country and in Europe, ably 
reviewed "The City of the Great King." Some of 
the reviewers declared that the book had "no rival 
on the subject in the English language." "Hadji in 
Syria" was sold in Europe as well as in America. 



152 Reformation of the Nineteenth Century 

The Presbyterian Board of Publication in Philadel- 
phia ordered 500 copies for their Sunday-schools. 
The North British Review noticed Dr. Barclay's 
book in a highly appreciative tone, at the same time 
making grateful mention of the Christian zeal and 
intelligent devotion in the support of the Jerusalem 
mission. Seven thousand copies of the work were 
sold in a short time. "The amount of new detail 
with regard to Jerusalem and its vicinity is greater 
than that of any volume that has ever been pub- 
lished on the topography of that city," is a single 
sentence taken from the North British Reviezv. The 
brethren did not waste the Lord's money — not one 
dollar of it — in sustaining the Jerusalem Mission. 

The work in Jerusalem, upon the return of Dr. 
Barclay and his family to the United States, was left 
in the hands of M. J. Dennis, a gentleman whom he 
had taught the way of the Lord more perfectly. 

For a time the American Christian Missionary So- 
ciety had no work in a foreign land. Alexander 
Cross, a negro slave in Kentucky, had been pur- 
chased by Christian men, given freedom, educated, 
and sent to Africa as a missionary. Before he did 
any work he fell a victim to a fever. Thus ended 
the first effort to evangelize Africa — the first effort 
made by the Disciples of Christ. 

This is a good place in which to give some account 
of certain educational enterprises inaugurated and 
carried forward by those whose great aim is to call 
the Church and the world back to a belief in and to 
the practice of simple New Testament Christianity. 



IV. 

EDUCATION IN THE DECADE BEGINNING 

WITH 1850. 

Education and evangelization go hand in hand. 
With the organization of the American Christian 
Missionary Society a new era in the history of the 
Disciples began. Every part of the body was revi- 
talized. The purpose of the society was the system- 
atic evangelization of men in our own and in other 
lands; but the cause of education received an impetus 
that is felt to this day. 

The prime movers in the nineteenth century effort 
in behalf of Christian unity and union, by a return 
to the Christianity of the Christ as it is described in 
the New Testament, were educated men. They were 
Presbyterian clergymen — trained as such men usually 
were and are. Their desire for a visible union of 
God's people was in order that men might be led to 
faith in the Christ; hence their evangelistic and 
evangelical zeal. They would naturally connect 
with this zeal an abiding interest in education — in 
college education — as a means of preparing men for 
the gospel ministry. 

Bacon College was established in Georgetown, 
Ky., in 1838. Bethany College was founded in 1841 
— the charter was granted by the Virginia Legisla- 
ture in 1840 — at the village of Bethany, Brooke 
County, Va. Alexander Campbell, its founder and 

first president, said: "Bethany College is the only 

153 



154 Reformation of the Nineteenth Century 

college known to us in tlie civilized world founded 
upon the Bible. It is not a theological school, 
founded upon human theology, nor a school of divin- 
ity, founded upon the Bible; but a literary and sci- 
entific institution, founded upon the Bible as the 

basis of all true science and true learning 

We are indeed the only denomination, or people, 
that could introduce the Bible into a college and 
daily teach it, inasmuch as we care for nothing that 
is not recognized by every party in Christendom.'^ 
As to the relation of Bethany to Bacon College, Mr. 
Campbell said: "Well knowing that Bacon College 
could not answer the purposes I designed, I obtained 
a liberal charter for Bethany College, and founded it 
at once upon the Bible, as the only foundation of 
real learning, human philosophy and moral science." 
In November, 1849, delegates from thirty-one 
churches in Ohio met and agreed to establish an in- 
stitution of learning such as might meet, in the 
character and scope of its instructions, especially its 
moral and religious instructions, the wants of the 
brotherhood in that part of the world. This was 
the beginning of the Western Reserve Eclectic Insti- 
tute, now Hiram College, located at the village of 
Hiram, in Portage County, Ohio. The Western 
Reserve Eclectic Institute was a school of academic 
grade. A. S. Hayden was the first president; James 
A. Garfield was the second. The institution became 
a college in 1867. Its founders thought that the 
Bible ought to hold a prominent place in the educa- 
tional system, that it was the only proper foundation 
for moral and ethical culture, and consequently that 



Period of Organization 155 

it ought to enter into the education of our young 
people — substantially the views which controlled Al- 
exander Campbell in the founding of Bethany Col- 
lege. 

Definite action was taken by the Disciples of 
Christ in Indiana in their State meeting, October, 
1849, to found, in Indianapolis, the Northw^estern 
Christian University, now Butler College, the college 
of literature and arts of the University of Indianap- 
olis. The charter of the Northwestern Christian 
University was granted by the legislature of Indiana, 
January 15, 1850. The first session of the institu- 
tion began in November, 1855. The inspiration of 
the founders was a belief, on conviction, that the 
prosperity of New Testament Christianity, in our age 
and country, is intimately connected with the cause 
of education. The two were believed to go hand in 
hand. The Bible was, almost as a matter of course, 
adopted as a text-book, and so continues to this day. 
The charter of this institution required that both 
sexes should be taught in the same classes and grad- 
uated with the same honors. 

Bacon College, after a varied history, in 1858 be- 
came Kentucky University — located first in Harrods- 
burg, and later in I^exington, its present abiding- 
place. 

The Kentucky Christian Education Society de- 
serves to be mentioned in this connection as indicat- 
ing the growth of interest in education among the 
Disciples of Christ. 

This society was organized in 1856. Such men as 
William Morton, John T. Johnson and Philip S. 



156 Reformat ioji of the Nineteenth Century 

Fall were leading spirits in its organization. It fur- 
nishes only such financial assistance as is necessary 
to enable a student to obtain a college education at 
the cheapest rate of living. This noble society has- 
assisted in the education of five hundred young men, 
at a total expenditure of $100,000. Until recently 
the money was a gift; now it is a loan without inter- 
est. Many of our most efficient preachers, college 
professors and writers were assisted in obtaining an 
education by the Kentucky Christian Education 
Society. 

The Kentucky Female Orphan School was founded 
at Midway, Woodford County, Ky., in 1849. ^t 
was at first a home rather than a school. Fifteen 
girls were admitted when its doors were first opened. 
John T. Johnson, L. L. Pinkerton and J. W. Parish 
were the principal men in the inauguration of this 
good work. The expens of the buildings and fur- 
nishing the same was borne, principally, by the Dis- 
ciples residing in Woodford County. The women were 
foremost in this enterprise, aiding it with brain, heart, 
tongue, hand and purse. Into the Kentucky Female 
Orphan School a good moral character and the abil- 
ity to receive an education are the essential condi- 
tions of admission. The aim is to make of the 
orphan girls self-supporting women. Only orphans 
are admitted; and these must be so situated that 
without the assistance of this school they would 
probably not receive an education. The graduates 
are so wisely and thoroughly trained as to be in 
special demand in the State as teachers. The prop- 
erty is valued at $50,000. There is an endowment, 



Period of Organisation 157 

well invested, of $150,000. The expense per annum 
is $15,000. The patronage is so large that addi- 
tional buildings are needed in order to properly ac- 
commodate the pupils. 

The legislature of Illinois, in 1855, granted a 
charter to Eureka College to be located at Walnut 
Grove, in Woodford County, 111. The town of 
Eureka grew up about the college. This institution 
was the outgrowth of the Walnut Grove Academy, 
founded and conducted by Prof. A. S. Fisher. The 
spirit out of which Eureka College grew is shown 
in the language used by J. T. Jones, president of the 
board of trustees of Walnut Grove Academy: "We 
propose to educate gratis all indigent young men who 
will pledge themselves to preach the gospel. And 
we hope to be able, a.t some future period, to train 
up, free of charge, indigent orphans. One of our 
cardinal points will ever be to induce more of our 
young brethren to embark in the proclamation of 
the ancient gospel, and to render it possible for 
them to be qualified with the necessary education." 

Abingdon College, in Illinois, was founded in 
1855. It was preceded by Abingdon Academy. P. 
H. Murphy was the first president of this college. 
In the course of time Abingdon College was incor- 
porated with Eureka College. 

Christian College, an institution for young women, 
located at Columbia, Mo., was founded in 1852. 
John Augustus Williams was the first president of 
this still flourishing institution. The same year the 
legislature of Arkansas granted a charter to Arkan- 
sas College. Robert Graham, "a graduate of Beth- 



158 Reformation of tJie Xineteenth Century 

any College," was "for some years before this the 
principal of an academy in that State, and it was 
through his energy, talents and learning," to use 
the words of iVlexander Campbell, "that this insti- 
tution has been incorporated as a college, and him- 
self created president." About the same time the 
Disciples in Missouri established Christian Univer- 
sity at Canton. To this decade also belongs the 
founding and failure of Berea College, at Jackson- 
ville, 111., through the heretical teaching of Walter 
S. Russell, its president. Oskaloosa College re- 
ceived its charter from the Iowa Legislature in 1857. 
This institution came as a result of organized effort 
on the part of the Disciples of Christ in the State of 
Iowa. They resolved in their State meeting in 1855 
to establish an educational institution of college 
grade. 



The Turbulent Period 



W. T. MOORE 



THE TURBULENT PERIOD 



CIVIL WAR AND THE CHRISTIAN 
CHURCHES. 

April the 12th, 1861, was a sad day for the Ameri- 
can people. The storm of civil strife had been gath- 
ering some time, but there were not many that 
believed this storm would ultimately burst in all the 
fury of internecine war. When, however, the first 
gun was fired upon Ft. Sumter, the die was cast. 
That gun reverberated the doleful message through- 
out the world, that a great conflict had begun be- 
tween the North and the South. The echoes of the 
cannonade which followed produced the most intense 
excitement throughout the whole country. The 
Northern people had hoped, almost against hope, 
that there would be no overt act of war, while those 
in the South had deluded themselves with the notion 
that if the war was once begun, that is, as soon as it 
became apparent that the South was in earnest, the 
right of secession would be conceded without a strug- 
gle. Both parties wholly miscalculated. 

On the Sunday after the bombardment of Ft. 
Sumter began, the fort was surrendered, and the 
next day after this, viz., April 15th, President Lin- 
coln issued a proclamation, declaring that the laws 
11 (161) 



1 62 Reformatio Ji of tJie NineteentJi Century 

of the republic had been for some time and were then 
opposed in the states of South Carolina, Georgia, 
Alabama, Florida, Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas, 
"by combinations too powerful to be suppressed by 
the ordinary course of judicious proceedings or by 
the powers vested in the marshals by law." The 
President accordingrlv called forth the militia of the 
other states of the Union to the aggregate number 
of sevent3^-five thousand men. He appealed to all 
loyal citizens to assist in the perpetuity of the 
national Union, at the same time commanding the 
persons composing the combinations referred to, to 
disperse and retire peaceably to their respective 
abodes within twenty days of the date of the proc- 
lamation. 

The response from the South to this proclamation 
was that of defiance. Two days after Mr. Lincoln's 
proclamation w^as issued, Jefferson Davis replied with 
a proclamation which authorized the fitting out of 
privateers to attack the merchant shipping of the 
United States. Again, two days after this. President 
Lincoln rejoined by declaring a blockade of the 
whole southern coast from South Carolina to Texas 
inclusive, and declaring that Confederate privateers 
w^ould be treated as pirates. 

Thus war in earnest was begun. The whole 
country w^as stirred from center to circumference. 
The capture of Ft. Sumter had aroused the North in 
a most remarkable manner, while the South, though 
somewhat divided in council (some of the states 
hesitating to take the decisive step of secession) 
was, nevertheless, fully committed to the Southern 



The Turbulent Period 163 

side of the issue which had been formed; conse- 
quently, it was no longer doubtful that the long 
irritating questions between the two sections of the 
country gould be settled only by the arbitrament of 
the sword. 

It was at this time that Christians almost held 
their breath. War is always bad, even at its best; 
but civil war has some repulsive features which are 
all its own. Usually it precipiates a conflict in which 
brothers are ranged upon different sides, and con- 
sequently these often meet upon the battlefield in 
deadly strife with one another. This is precisely 
what took place during the great conflict between 
the North and the South. , . 

THREE GREAT QUESTIONS. 

There were three great questions which began to 
assume prominence in thoughtful minds just as soon 
as hostilities began. These questions were as fol- 
lows: 

(i) What would be the destiny of the republic? 
The European Governments had always regarded the 
American Republic as an experiment. With them 
it was by no means certain that it would stand any 
heavy strain. Its staying qualities were now to be 
tested. The outlook at the beginning was not very 
hopeful, and even some of the stoutest lost heart. 
But the final issue proved that the people of Europe 
knew really little of the intelligence, courage and 
resources generally of the American people. 

(2) A second question was: What would become 
of slavery? At first there was probably no thought 



164 Reformation of the Nineteenth Century 

by President L/incoln or any of liis Cabinet that slav- 
ery would be abolished. Indeed, special pains were 
taken to convince the South that the war was waged 
only for the preservation of the Union, and not for 
the extinction of slavery. But in this, as in many 
other things, was illustrated the saying, ''Man pro- 
poses, but God disposes." 

The abolition of slavery was a logical consequence 
of the success of the Union arms. 

(3) A third, and perhaps the most important 
question was: What would become of the bond of 
union among Christians? Religious progress in the 
United States had been almost phenomenal. This 
progress had been made under somewhat new condi- 
tions. The constitution of the United States pro- 
vided for a great experiment in religious develop- 
ment. It guaranteed the utmost freedom to the re- 
ligious conscience, allowing every man to "worship 
God under his own vine or figtree, with none to 
molest or make him afraid." This was the new soil 
in which the religious seed of the future was to ger- 
minate and grow. It had already yielded abundant 
fruit, but the internecine strife was likely to put this 
new experiment to a very severe test. 

THE PLEA FOR UNION TESTED. 

While all the religious denominations were more 
or less influenced by the Civil War (most of them 
ultimately dividing on the question), the Disciples of 
Christ or Christians were exposed to a very special 
danger. One of the most fundamental features of 



The Turbitlcnt Period 165 

their religious movement was their plea for Christian 
union. This, more than anything else, engaged the 
attention of their earlier preachers. Indeed, it may 
be said with emphasis that much of their success, in 
the earlier days of their movement, was owing to 
their strong advocacy of Christian union. The old 
pioneers believed that the world could never be con- 
verted to Christ until Christians are one, as Christ 
and the Father are one; and believing, furthermore, 
that a return to primitive Christianity in its faith, 
doctrine and life was all that was necessary in order 
to secure the union of God's people, the Disciples, 
both by tongue and pen, made a vigorous onslaught 
upon the divisions of. Christendom, while at the same 
time, with equal earnestness, they urged the union 
of all the followers of Christ. 

It is easy to see how their plea would be subjected 
to a very severe test by the civil strife which had 
been inaugurated. The bulk of their membership 
was located on both sides, close along Mason and 
Dixon's line. Most of their members were in the 
states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Kansas and Iowa, 
on the side of the North; and in Kentucky, Missouri, 
Tennessee, Virginia and Georgia, on the side of the 
South. Perhaps, at the time referred to, the whole 
membership was about equally divided between the 
two sections. Of course, I am not aiming to be 
exact in this estimate, but it is doubtless not far 
from the truth. 

Another fact needs to be stated just here. The 
Disciples were without any form of government, such 
as characterized many of the ecclesiastical organiza- 



1 66 Reformation of the Nineteenth Century 

tions of the day. Their teachers had always main- 
tained that love was the only bond of a real fellow- 
ship, and consequently they had rejected everything 
like a government which would bring them into a 
consolidated organization. They depended wholly 
upon the unity of the faith and the unity of the 
Spirit for whatever unity of action there might be 
among them. As a religious body they were strongly 
and unalterably opposed to ecclesiasticisms of every 
kind, no matter by what name they might be called. 

This position was not regarded with much favor 
by their religious neighbors. Indeed, many proph- 
ecies had been made that, as soon as an important 
crisis should arise among the Disciples, they would 
split up into a number of factions, and thereby illus- 
trate another failure in efforts to restore the lost unity 
of Christendom. 

A test had now come which would try the strength 
of this position to its utmost. If their own unity 
should be broken, this would at once block the way 
against their plea for Christian union. They could 
with little grace ask others to accept the position 
which they themselves could not maintain under the 
stress of divisive influences. 

There can be no doubt about the fact that Disciples 
differed very radically with regard to the issues at 
stake. It is probably true that most of them de- 
plored the appeal to the arbitrament of the sword. 
They had learned to love one another fervently, and 
their very plea for individual freedom, which had 
always characterized their advocacy, made it more 
difficult for them to regard those who- differed from 



The Turbulent Period 167 

them on political questions as necessarily enemies. 
However, it is probably true that most of the Dis- 
ciples north of Mason and Dixon's line heartily and 
fully sustained President Lincoln in his efforts to 
put down the rebellion; while it is no doubt equally 
true that most of those south of this line conscien- 
tiously sympathized with the Confederacy. Never- 
theless, it is well known by those who are acquainted 
with the sentiment which prevailed at the time on 
both sides that there was a very general feeling of 
antipathy to that spirit which, in some quarters, 
sought to make political issues override and destroy 
the fellowship of those who acknowledged the same 
Lord, contended for the same faith, and had sub- 
mitted to the same baptism. In short, the differ- 
ences between these brethren did not amount to a 
schism, though it cannot be denied that the pressure 
in this direction was very great, and had it not been 
for the cooler heads on both sides .it is probable that 
the Disciples would have been practically divided 
before the war came to a close. In some Southern 
pulpits (notably Nashville) Federal preachers were 
invited to occupy the pulpits of Christian Churches. 

A PKRSONAL REMINISCENCE. 

As an illustration of the conscientious way in 
which many at least discharged their duty during 
the awful crisis in those days, it may be interesting, 
as well as instructive, to relate an incident in my own 
history; an incident which some of my friends think 
strongly suggests the probability that, under God, I 



1 68 Reformation of the Nineteenth Century 

was instrumental in saving Kentucky to the Union. 

The facts are as follows: I was then pastor of the 
Christian Church at Frankfort, Ky., the capital of 
the state. The Hon. Bariah Magoffin was at that 
time the governor of the state, and the legislature 
was very evenly divided between those who favored 
what was termed "armed neutrality," and either 
simple neutrality, or a loyal support of the Federal 
government. The governor was strongly in favor of 
"armed neutrality," and this, should it be officially 
proclaimed, practically meant secession. Personally 
I felt sure that nothing would keep the state from 
ultimately joining the Confederacy if the "armed 
neutrality" resolution should pass the legislature and 
be proclaimed by the governor. 

I was a Kentuckian, and I loved my state very 
ardently. Nearly all my personal associations were 
with the Southern people, and consequently I could 
not help sympathizing with them in much for which 
they contended. Still, I believed the doctrine of 
secession was wrong, but I am bound to confess that 
this conviction was forced upon me mainly from 
religious considerations, for I had never studied the 
question very carefully from a political point of view. 
Anyway, I felt that I must be a Christian first, no 
matter what became of my politics. I was loyal to 
the Federal Government, but it cannot be doubted, 
as I think over the matter at this distant day, that 
my loyalty was chiefly owing to my religious convic- 
tions, rather than to any political bias which at that 
time influenced me. I could not be a party to any- 
thing that would tend to embroil brethren against 



The Turbulent Period 169 

one another. Hence, when the matter had to be 
decided by the Kentucky Legislature, as to what 
position the state would take, I very strongly opposed 
"armed neutrality," and mainly because I felt sure 
that this meant nothing less than secession in the 
end. 

At this juncture it came to my knowledge that a 
careful canvass had been made with the result that 
the legislature was about equally divided for and 
against "armed neutrality," with five or six mem- 
bers classed among the doubtful. Now it happened 
that all but one, I believe, of these doubtful legisla- 
tors were members of the Christian Church. I 
immediately announced that I would preach, the 
next Sunday morning, on the "Duty of Christians 
in the Present Crisis." Some forty or fifty members 
of the legisature heard the sermon, and among them 
those who had been reckoned as doubtful with re- 
spect to the vote which would be taken the early 
part of the week. The vote was taken, and "armed 
neutrality" was defeated ; and this defeat was 
secured, in the opinion ol some of those who are 
acquainted with the facts, by the influence of the 
sermon which I preached. It was an appeal to the 
Christian conscience against embarking in an enter- 
prise which meant only evil for that fellowship 
which had been so strong between the Christians 
residing in the respective hostile sections. It was 
known, before the sermon, that the doubtful voters 
leaned toward the "armed neutrality" measure, but 
when the time of final decision came they voted 
against that measure, and thereby secured its defeat, 



170 Reformation of the Nineteenth Century 

and at the same time saved Kentucky to the Federal 
Union. This case furnishes another illustration of 
how a great issue is sometimes decided by a very 
small matter. I had not the slightest idea of the 
ultimate and far-reaching consequences when I 
preached that sermon. 

THE INFLUENCE OF LEADING MEN. 

It has already been intimated that many of the 
leading men on both sides of the contest acted with 
much discretion with respect to the matters at issue. 
Mr. Campbell himself took no active part in the war. 
Though living in a Southern State, his sympathies 
were undoubtedly with the Union. Nevertheless, 
he acted with great prudence in all that he said or 
did during the progress of the war. - At the time he 
was regarded by some of his Northern brethren as 
entirely too reticent in expressing his sympathies 
with the Union cause; but when it is remembered 
that many of his most intimate friends, as well as 
several of his own household, were outspoken in 
favor of secession, no one need wonder that Mr. 
Campbell did not feel called upon to become over- 
zealous in his support of the Union. It should be 
remembered, also, that at this time his health began 
to fail. Indeed, from the year 1861 until his death 
he practically lived in the past. He certainly did 
not take cognizance of many things around him, 
and consequently the war, with all its ravages, had 
little place in his thoughts. Perhaps this was prov- 
idential. Had he been in his usual health, he 
would no doubt have given earnest advocacy to 



The Turbulent Period 171 

one side or the other; and had he done so, it might 
have produced a division among the Disciples. x\s 
it was, his failing health excited the sympathy of 
his brethren on both sides of the struggle, and con- 
sequently his great personality came to be a sort of 
common center, where antagonistic views could 
meet and become reconciled. 

There were other men besides Mr. Campbell who 
helped to stay the tide of sectional feeling. Some 
of the strongest Union men of the North and some 
of the most pronounced secessionists of the South 
were equally opposed to making their political 
differences a cause of religious disunion. Both 
sides held firmly that even a complete severance of 
the National Union ought not to compel division 
among the people of God. This was the view taken 
by probably nine hundred and ninety-nine in every 
thousand of the Disciples, no matter on which side 
of Mason and Dixon's line they resided. 

It is not affirmed that no imprudent things were 
said or done. Doubtless there were some heated 
coiitroversies, some foolish speeches, and occasional- 
ly there may have been things done in the churches 
or in the representative bodies that might as well 
have been left undone. But all this and more 
might have been reasonably expected. As we look 
back over those terrible days it is difficult to believe 
that anything but the grace of God in the hearts of 
the brethren could have kept them in practical 
fellowship with one another; and I think it is fitting 
that some of the names that were prominent in 
restraining passion and guiding to wise conclusions 



172 Reformation of tJic AHnetcenth Centiny 

during those trying days should have special men- 
tion in any history of the period which is now under 
consideration. 

Some, perhaps, carried their peculiar views a 
little too far; but no one is a competent judge of 
what was done at that time unless he is capable of 
impartially treating all the facts of the case. 

THE QUESTION OF CHRISTIANS GOING TO WAR. 

There were those who strongl}^ held to the notion 
that Christians ought not to go to war at all, and 
this view was doubtless emphasized by the certainty 
that such a war as was then being waged would 
bring some of the best men in the churches face to 
face with one another in mortal combat. Christians 
in what were known as the border states had their 
fellowship more severely tried than in any other 
part of the country. In these states a man's foes 
were truly of his own household. Perhaps there 
was no state in the Union where brotherhood was 
more severely tried than in Missouri. Hence it may 
be interesting as well as instructive to reproduce 
a "Circular from the Preachers in Missouri with 
Respect to the Duty of Christians in this Crisis." 
It is as follows: 

"Zb all the holy breth7''en in eveiy state ^ grace and 
peace from God^ our Father ^ and the Lord Jesus 
Christ : 

"The undersigned, your brethren in the lyord, 
residing in the State of Missouri, in view of the 
present distress, which is wringing all our hearts, 
and the danger which threatens the churches of 



The Titrbuleiit Period 173 

Christ, would submit to your prayerful consideration 
the following suggestions: 

''(i) Whatever we may think of the propriety 
of bearing arms in extreme emergencies, we cannot 
by the New Testament, wdiich is our only rule of 
discipline, justify ourselves in engaging in the frater- 
nal strife now raging in our beloved country. To 
do so, therefore, would be to incur the displeasure 
of our blessed Lord and Savior. 

"(2) It is our duty in obedience to many in- 
junctions of Christ and the apostles, and in com- 
pliance with the last prayer of our Savior, to re- 
main as we have thus far so happily continued, a 
united body. But this cannot be if, in accordance 
with our prejudices and political opinions, we join 
in this deadly strife. Is not the 'unity of the Spirit 
in the bond of peace' more to be desired than all 
that could possibly be gained by such a strife, at- 
tended as it must be by the loss of this unity. and 
the reign of passion in our hearts? 

"(3) Knowing, as all history teaches and as the 
experience of many of us can testify, that active 
military service almost invariably destroys the relig- 
ious character of Christians who are drawn into it, 
we cannot discharge our duty to Christ, if we see 
our young brethren rushing into this vortex of 
almost certain ruin without an earnest and affec- 
tionate remonstrance. 

"(4) If we remain true to this line of duty, not 
allowing the temptations of the time, however en- 
ticing or however threatening they may be, to turn 
us aside, we shall be able greatly to glorify the 
name of our Lord, who is the Prince of Peace. For 
we may present to our countrymen, when restored 
to their right mind by the return of peace, a body 
of disciples so closely bound by the Word of God 
alone that not even the shock of Civil War nor the 
alarm produced by religious systems crumbling 



174 Reformation of the Nineteenth Centniy 

around could divide us. How rapid and glorious in 
that event would be the subsequent triumph of truth 
throughout the whole land! This heavenly triumph 
is clearly within our reach. If we fail to grasp it, 
how unworthy we shall prove of the holy cause we 
plead! 

"(5) We are striving to restore to an unhappy 
and sectarianized world the primitive doctrine 
and discipline. Then let us pursue that peaceful 
course to which we know that Jesus and the apos- 
tles would advise us if they were living once more 
and here among us. IvCt lis for Jesus' sake endeav- 
or in this appropriate hour to restore the love of 
peace which he inculcated; which was practiced by 
the great body of the church for the first three hun- 
dred years, in an utter refusal to do military service; 
which continued to be thus practiced by the true 
church throughout the dark ages, and which has 
been so strongly plead by many of the purest men 
of modern times, our own Bro. A. Campbell among 
the number. 

"(6) We conclude by entreating the brethren 
everywhere to study conclusively 'the things which 
make for peace, and those by which one may edify 
another.' iVnd 'the very God of peace sanctify you 
wholly,' and 'the peace of God which passeth all 
understanding keep your minds and hearts through 
Jesus Christ.' 

"B. H. Smith, J. W. Cox, 

Saml. Johnson, J. J. Errett, 

E. V. Rice, H. H. Haley, 

J. D. Dawson, T. P. Haley, 

J. W. McGarvey, J. Atkinson, 

T. M. Allen, R. C. Morton, 

J. K. Rogers, Levi Van Camp." 

It will be read'ily conceded that the names signed 
to this paper must have given its utterances great 



The Turbulent Period 175 

weight. They were among the most influential 
preachers of the State, and it is safe to say that this 
declaration of Christian feeling, whether wisely 
conceived or not from a political point of view, had 
a salutary effect upon the brethren of the State in 
restraining them from following the rebellion; and 
in any case it did much to call attention to the 
religious side of the issues and thereby saved many, 
no doubt, from extreme conduct. 

At the time this circular was issued, it was be- 
lieved by many Unionists that it favored secession, 
but time has shown that its influence was wholly in 
the opposite direction; so that even if its original 
intention was to promote the secession cause, it 
evidently failed to produce the desired effect. But 
there is no reason to believe that the signers of this 
circular had any other end in view than that of re- 
straining passion and promoting brotherly love. 

THE WAR QUESTION IN THE MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 

There were, however, some restless spirits on both 
sides who believed that war was a perfectly legit- 
imate way in which to settle such a question as was 
then before the country. Naturally enough, those 
on the Union side felt that it was no time to hide 
loyalty under a bushel, and consequently they were 
anxious to have the whole of their brotherhood, as 
far as possible, thoroughly committed in support of 
the Federal Government. The General Missionary 
Convention, which at that time met annually in 
Cincinnati, was the only really representative body 
among the Disciples. At its meeting, Oct. 24, 



176 Rcfonnation of tJie XinetcoitJi Century 

1861, Dr. J. P. Robinson, of Ohio, offered the fol- 
lowing resolutions: 

^'' Resolved^ That we deeply sympathize with the 
loyal and patriotic in our country in the present 
efforts to sustain the government of the United 
States, and we feel it our duty as Christians to ask 
our brethren everywhere to do all in their power to 
sustain the proper and constitutional authorities of 
the Union." 

This resolution was seconded by Dr. L. L. 
Pinkerton, of Kentucky, and was then laid over 
until the afternoon session, in the afternoon, Dr. 
Robinson having called up his resolution, D. S. 
Burnet raised the question whether, in view of 
the second article of the constitution, it was in 
order to entertain such a resolution in that body. 

The acting chairman, Isaac Errett, of Michigan, 
decided that the resolution was in order; whereupon 
John Smith, of Kentucky, moved an appeal from 
the decision of the chair to the house. However, 
this appeal was withdrawn, but was afterwards 
renewed by R. M. Bishop, of Ohio, when the 
appeal was sustained, and, consequently, the resolu- 
tion was declared out of order. Dr. Pinkerton then 
moved that the society take a recess for ten min- 
utes. This was agreed to. 

During this recess an informal meeting was 
called, with D. S. Burnet in the chair, when, after 
a few remarks from Col. J. A. Garfield, Dr. Robin- 
son's resolution was passed with but one negative 
vote. 

It should also be stated that all the speakers upon 



TJic TiD^biilcnt Period 177 

tlie point of order and npon the appeal from the 
decision of the chair had, before the adjournment, 
avowed that the resokition expressed their senti- 
ments. They opposed its introduction in the 
convention wholly on the ground that it was uncon- 
stitutional and ought not, therefore, to be enter- 
tained. 

Doubtless some may have been influenced, par- 
tially at least, by the notion that the passage of 
such a resolution by the convention at that time 
might have a tendency to alienate brethren whose 
relations were already under a very heavy strain. 

FINAL ACTION OF THE CONVENTION. 

These considerations, however, did not hold for 
any length of time. Two years after this, at the 
annual meeting of the society, Oct. 22nd, the follow- 
ing preamble and resolutions, offered by R. Faurot, 
were adopted with very few dissenting votes: 

"Whereas, 'There is no power but of God,' and 
'the powers that be are ordained of God;' and where- 
as, we are commanded in the Holy Scriptures to be 
subject to the powers that be, and 'obey magistrates;' 
and whereas, an armed rebellion exists in our coun- 
try, subversive of these divine injunctions; and 
whereas, reports have gone abroad that we, as a 
religious body, and particularly as a missionary 
society, are to a certain degree disloyal to the gov- 
ernment of the United States: therefore — 

^^ Resolved^ That we unqualifiedly declare our alle- 
giance to said government, and repudiate as false 
and slanderous any statements to the contrary. 

^^ Resolved^ That we tender our sympathies to our 
12 



178 Reformation of the Nineteenth Century 

brave and noble soldiers in the field who are defend- 
ing us from the attempts of armed traitors to over- 
throw our government, and also to those bereaved 
and rendered desolate by the ravages of war. 

"^^i-<?/z^^</, That we will earnestly and constantly 
pray to God to give to our legislators and rulers 
wisdom to enact and power to execute such laws as 
will speedily bring to us the enjoyment of a peace 
that God will deiorn to bless." 

A motion was made to adjourn and lost. The 
question was then raised by a member, J. W. McGar- 
vey, of Kentucky, whether the resolutions were in 
order or not. The chair, Isaac Brrett again presid- 
ing, decided that, according to a vote of the house 
two years ago, the resolutions were not in order and 
he should, therefore, so hold, although contrary to 
his own clear convictions. An appeal to the house 
was taken from this decision, which appeal, being 
discussed, was sustained. It was then moved that 
the society adjourn. The motion was lost. It was 
then moved that the resolutions be laid on the table. 
This motion was also lost. 

The previous question was then called for, and the 
vote of the house sustained the call. 

The preamble and resolutions were finally adopted, 
with very few dissenting. 

It ought to be stated, however, in justice to those 
who urged the necessity of taking this action, that 
they did so wholly on the ground of loyalty to the 
government, but they distinctly disavowed any senti- 
ment that could be legitimately construed to mean 
alienation from or disfellowship with their Southern 



The Turbulent Period 179 

brethren. Indeed, tliey held that their views with 
respect to their maintenance of the Federal Union 
only emphasized their desire to perpetuate their 
spiritual union with those of their brethren who were 
in the Southern Confederacy. 

At this same meeting of the society the report of 
the board of managers contained a very graphic 
reference to the fratricidal war which was then at its 
height. The report was written by D. S. Burnet, 
who was at that time corresponding secretary of the 
society, k. paragraph is worth reproducing. It is as 
follows : 

"The disaster of the nineteenth century has come, 
which white-haired sire and fair-browed son prayed 
never to see. But it has come, like some splendid 
and blighting comet, driving commerce and trade 
from their channels and the blood out of our hearts. 
The world gazes on the scene aghast, and the relig- 
ion of Christ, made for man, not knowing his distinc- 
tions of tribe and nation nor his ocean and mountain 
boundaries, visits alike the field golden with harvest 
or incarnadine with human gore, and still brings her 
pardon-bearing mercy to all. Our work, then, is 
• unchanged except by the difficulties which it is the 
victory of faith to overcome. Many of our churches 
have been represented on the great battlefields in the 
struggle for the integrity of the Union, and several 
of our preachers have followed their flock through 
the dangers which environed them on the field of 
slaughter, ministering caution to the living and com- 
fort to the dying, while we all have prayed that God 
would hide us from the evil till the storm be passed, 
and that he would so guide that storm that when the 
cloud of war lifted, the temple of free constitutional 
government would stand unscathed, revealing its 



i8o Reformation of the Nineteenth Century 

beauty and strength and proportions unshorn for our 
posterity, as we received it from our fathers. Recog- 
nizing our religious obligations in its maintanence, 
let us address ourselves to the duty of lifting higher 
the banner of the cross and carrying it farther than 
ever before." 

This extract shows the spirit of the men who were 
at that time most actively engaged in maintaining 
the cause. All letters from evangelists in the field, as 
well as reports from the state societies, during these 
days, have in them a sad note, if not something verv 
discouraging. The general society was itself prac- 
tically bankrupt. It had assumed obligations when 
it relied upon support from the South, and now that 
this support was entirely cut off, it was with difficulty 
that these obligations could be met. Nevertheless, 
the good work did not stop. Many new men came 
to the rescue, while most of the old contributors, who 
were within reach of the society, gave liberally to its 
support. 

Nevertheless, these were trying years for the mis- 
sionary cause. Apart from the difficulty of securing 
financial aid there was a general depression of spirit- 
ual interest throughout the whole country. The war 
fever had seriously affected the whole body spiritual, 
and consequently it is not at all strange that mission- 
ary enthusiasm was not at a very high tide. 

THE DISCIPLES FIRMLY UNITED. 

But be it said to the credit of those who were not 
swept entirely away from their moorings by the war 
spirit, that they not only heartily supported the mis- 
sionary work committed to their hands, but they also 



The Turbulent Period i8i 

maintainea with honest integrity their plea for union 
among the Disciples of Christ. I desire to emphasize 
this point very strongly, because recently it has been 
intimated that the Disciples were practically divided 
during the w^ar, although no formal division actually 
took place. This view of the matter is entirely 
erroneous. Doubtless there were alienations, cer- 
tainly sometimes bitter feelings, but in no case can it 
truthfully be said that anything like a division was 
ever seriously contemplated by brethren on either 
side of the conflict. There was never at any time 
the slightest possibility of a real division among the 
Disciples, no matter how the war might have ter- 
minated. Indeed, most of the Disciples, both North 
and South, bitterly lamented the fratricidal strife. 
Many of them were opposed to war in any of its 
forms, and this view had received special emphasis 
in the teaching of Mr. Campbell. One of his great 
deliverances was published in 1843, ^^ ^^ close of 
the Mexican war, and was a ringing protest against 
war as a means of settling national or international 
difficulties. Hence it may be stated truthfully that 
the Disciples, as a religious body, had been educated 
to look upon war as an untold evil ; and, consequently, 
while most of them were loyal to the Federal Union, 
there were not a few who preferred even secession 
rather than an appeal to the arbitrament of the 
sword. This states the exact facts of the case, and it 
is due to the truth of history that no concealment 
should be made at this point. * 

*I have received numerous testimonies from eminent men, con- 
firming^ this view of the matter. 



1 82 Re/onuation of the NiiietccntJi Century 

Of course, it is freely admitted that some of the 
noblest and truest men in the ranks of the Disciples 
held to a different view. These believed it to be 
their religious duty to take up arms to defend the 
government against what w^as believed to be an un- 
reasonable rebellion. Nevertheless, these never lost 
sight of the'fact that they were fighting against an 
illegal combination of men that managed to draw 
within their plans many thousands, and among these 
many brethren who had really no heart in the dis- 
union movement. Whether or not this view of the 
matter was entirely justified by the facts of the case 
need not be discussed here. It is undoubtedly true 
that it was from this standpoint that those Disciples 
who became defenders of the national flag justified 
their conduct. 

Furthermore, it can not be denied that, w^hen the 
conflict was over, the Southern brethren were imme- 
diately received into the fellowship of the loyal 
churches without any reference to the question of the 
war. 

EMANCIPATION OF THE SLAVES. 

The war in itself was not the onlv things that 
strained the relations between the Christians of the 
North and South. At the beginning of the war there 
was perhaps little or no thought, upon the part of 
the Unionists, that slavery would be disturbed. The 
Republican party had disavowed the intention of 
interfering with slavery where it already existed; 
their contention being that they proposed to keep it 
out of the territories, so that no more slave states 
could be admitted to the Union. 



Tlie Turbulent Period 183 

Many of the Southern people accepted this declared 
policy in good faith, and during the first year of the 
war, Mr. lyincoln seemed strongly inclined to carry 
out this policy according to the strictest letter of the 
law. However, it became increasingly evident, as 
months went on, that slavery was doomed. The 
Northern people were quite willing to let slavery 
alone where it existed while there was no war, but 
after the war had been inaugurated, public sentiment 
in the North began to change, until it became over- 
whelmingly in favor of freeing the negroes as a war 
measure, if for no other reason. 

For a time Mr. Lincoln seemed to hesitate; but at 
last, on the 22nd of September, 1862, only a few 
days after the battle of Antietam, he issued his 
famous proclamation, declaring that on the following 
New Year's day, in all the states that had not 
returned to their allegiance, the slaves should be 
thenceforth and forever free. This did not at once 
affect the loyal border slave states; but every one 
could see that the proclamation was really equivalent 
to the ultimate extinction of slavery throughout the 
whole South, if the Union cause should ultimately 
prevail. 

This proclamation had the effect of practically 
uniting the South; so after this the people of the 
South claimed that they were fighting for their 
property as well as their political rights. 

RANKS OF THE DISCIPI.ES STILL UNBROKEN. 

But even this additional strain did not break the 
fellowship between the Disciples of the two sections. 



184 Reformation of the Nineteenth Ccntnjy 

Doubtless the extremists on both sides were driven 
farther apart by this act of President Lincoln, but it 
is equally certain that the thoughtful Christians of 
both parties did not fail to see in the proclamation 
the hand of Providence, and consequently it had a 
softening influence upon many rather than the 
opposite effect. 

Many years before the war Mr. Campbell had pre- 
dicted the very state of things which had now come 
to pass; consequently, while he counseled moderation 
on the part of all, he was thoroughly convinced that 
the two sections of the country could not live in 
peace together with slavery between them as a con- 
stantly disturbing cause. This view was shared by 
many of the most eminent Disciples of that day, and 
doubtless this earnest conviction had its due weight 
in determining the final course of the churches with 
respect to the preservation of the Union among 
themselves. 

While, therefore, the anti-slavery proclamation 
did much to unite the South in support of what had 
come" to be regarded as a common cause, there was, 
nevertheless, a deep-seated feeling among the Chris- 
tians of the South that no war in defense of slavery 
could ever be permanently successful. This element 
in the conviction of Southern Christians evidently 
had much to do in helping them to bear what would 
otherwise have been an intolerable load. It was this 
that enabled them to forgive and forget, when the 
war clouds had passed, for it is well known that 
those who fought with the greatest bravery and 
those who suffered most have been, since the war, 



The Turbulent Period 185 

the most thoroughly reconciled to what was the final 
issue. Only those who stopped at home have kept 
up the spirit of the rebellion since the war came to 
an end. 

But, however this may have been, there was no 
division. This statement can be sustained by the 
most overwhelming testimony. The following ex- 
tract is from an article in Izard's Quarterly in 1866, 
written by the editor on the question, "Can We 
Divide?" After referring to several local efforts by 
certain men to cause division, Mr. I^ard says: 

"Not only have these men been able to produce 
no division among us, nor in any other way hurtfully 
to affect us, save by ruining themselves and a few 
other individuals; but causes far more powerful than 
they have been successfully withstood. From the 
moment of our denominational origin in this country 
up to the very present, we have had the exciting and 
dangerous question of slavery to encounter. Our 
brethren South stood strongly for, our brethren 
North strongly against, the institution. Never for a 
moment did it cease to chafe and fret. At times it 
certainly became threatening and wore an ugly look. 
Brethren on both sides would occasionaly flame high 
and talk loud. Still, all through the strife it excited, 
all through the passion it aroused, we lived without 
even the semblance of a breach. Other bodies it 
divided; ours it could not. And if slavery proved 
inadequate, we may with much composure question 
the adequacy of other causes. And now the angry 
topic is laid aside forever. Brethren who opposed it 
courteously decline to exult; brethren who favored it 



1 86 Reformation of the Nineteenth Century. 

magnanimously decline to complain. It is settled 
forever. It has spent its force, and still the children 
of God are one. As a nation we can never be re- 
proached with it more: as Christians it can never 
again make us fear. For these results let us be 
thankful. 

"But, further, we as a nation and as Christians 
have just passed the fierce ordeal of a terrible war, a 
war in which passion ran to its height and feelings 
became as ferocious as feelings ever get. We had 
many brethren on both the opposing sides. Many of 
our churches stood precisely where the carnival 
raged most. Yet not a rent in our ranks did the war 
produce. True, for the time being it cooled many 
an ardent feeling, and caused old friends to regard 
one another a little shyly. Still, it effected no 
division. And now even those kindly feelings are 
obviously beginning to flow back, and brethren from 
the two hostile sides are meeting as brethren should 
ever meet. They even seem to vie with each other 
in acts of magnanimity and high Christian bearing. 
The war is never mentioned but in accents of sorrow; 
crimination and recrimination are never heard; the 
cause of Christ is the constant topic of conversation ; 
while all noble hearts are beating high with joy that 
our unity is left to us perfect. If, now, we have 
triumphantly come through this storm, and still 
gloriously stand an undivided people, have we not 
reason to count with confidence on the future? May 
we not boldly say, trusting in God to help us. We 
can never divide f ' 



n. 

CONTROVERSIAL QUESTIONS AB INTRA. 

It has been truly said that misfortunes never 
come singly; and it is equally true that great tests 
do not usually stand alone. When Satan made his 
assault upon our divine Lord, he did not retreat until 
he had been repulsed three times. ,Each one of the 
temptations was very severe, but when the final vic- 
tory was achieved, then angels came and ministered 
to the weary Christ. In like manner Job was tried 
by at least two very severe tests. So it has ever 
been, and so it will probably ever be. 

The period we have under consideration was full 
of danger to the Disciples' movement. It was a 
time of great testing. We have already seen how 
the war, with the many trying things associated 
with it, put to the severest strain the loving fellow- 
ship which had, from the beginning of their move- 
ment, distinguished the Disciples of Christ. We 
have seen also how they came out of that movement 
without any actual division having taken place in 
the body. But all the strain was not wholly on 
account of the war; nor was it simply between the 
Disciples North and South. The whole body. North 
and South, was more or less tested by 

Thk communion question. 

It would be misleading to say that this question 

ever reached such an acute state as to seriously 

(187) 



1 88 Reformation of the Nineteenth Century . 

threaten a rupture between those who respectively 
held adverse views. Nevertheless, it cannot be 
denied that it was the entering wedge of what might 
have been a serious schism if the Disciple position 
had not been so strong, and if prudent counsels had 
not prevailed. 

In pleading for a return to apostolic faith and 
practice, the Disciples had very properly empha- 
sized the importance of giving baptism its legitimate 
place in the plan of salvation. They saw that it 
was impossible to make much headway with their 
plea for immersion and believer's baptism while the 
design of baptism was practically ignored. There 
were those who made too much of baptism — at- 
tached to it what was called "sacramental grace," 
and consequently, these did not regard the salvation 
of any one as secure who, on any account, failed to 
receive the blessing of baptism. 

There were others who made too little of baptis^n. 
They regarded it as practically nothing more than a 
bodily act by which the believer gave evidence to 
the world of his willingness to become a Christian, 
or as proof that he had already become a Christian. 
At most it was simply an "outward sign of an in- 
ward grace." But some of those who held to infant 
baptism did not attach even this much importance 
to the ordinance. It is difficult to state in language 
just what the position was that was held by this 
class. Indeed, the only thing necessary to state 
here is the fact that, no matter what the position 
was, it practically left the ordinance without any 
special significance. 



The Turbulent Period 189 

The Disciples refused to accept either one of these 
views. They believed that there was a middle 
ground which was the safe ground. While they 
would not make too much of baptism, that is, 
would not give to it any "sacramental grace," or 
allow that by itself, ex opere operato^ a change of 
heart was effected, they, nevertheless, held strongly 
to the notion that baptism, in New Testament teach- 
ing, is in some way unmistakably connected with 
the remission of sins; and, consequently, they pro- 
claimed everywhere the importance of returning to 
scriptural teaching on the subject. 

While the Disciples were generally agreed among 
themselves as to what the Scriptures really taught 
concerning the design of baptism, there was, during 
the period now under consideration, considerable 
diversity of views as to the practical consequences 
of their teaching on the subject. There were not a 
few who held strongly to the notion that restricted 
communion was the logical sequence of scriptural 
views as to the place which baptism should occupy 
in the return of the sinner to God. However, there 
were others, equally anxious to stick rigidly to the 
Scriptures, who did not believe that any such conse- 
quences followed the Disciple view of the design of 
baptism, as was supposed by those brethren who 
leaned toward restricted communion. 

LOGIC OF THE HEAD AND HEART. 

Mr. Campbell's views had always been pronounced 
in favor of those who believed that the divided state 
of Christendom could not be successfully dealt with 



190 Reformation of the Niiieteenth Century 

by insisting upon the rigid application of pure logic, 
even if it were possible to show that those who 
favored a strict construction could sustain their posi- 
tion by the Scriptures. He did not make mistakes 
of the head equal to those of the heart. This view 
of the matter is strikingly set forth in an article by 
Mr. Campbell, published in the Millennial Harbinger 
in 1837. The following extract will be sufficient 
for my present purpose. After defining who it is 
that is a Christian, and what is meant by a perfect 
man in Christ Jesus, he says: 

*'But every one is wont to condemn others in that 
in which he is more intelligent than they; while, on 
the other hand, he is condemned for his Phariseeism, 
or his immodesty and rash judgment of others, by 
those that excel in the things in which he is de- 
ficient. I cannot, therefore, make any one duty the 
standard of Christian state or character, not even 
immersion into the name of the Father, of the Son 
and of the Holy Spirit, and in my heart regard all 
that have been sprinkled in infancy, without their 
knowledge or consent, as aliens from Christ and the 
well-grounded hope of heaven. 'Salvation was of 
the Jews,' acknowledged the Messiah; and yet he 
.said of a foreigner — an alien from the common- 
wealth of Israel, a Syro-Phenician — 'I have not 
found so great faith; no, not in Israel.' 

"Should I find a Pedobaptist more intelligent in 
the Scriptures, more spiritually minded and more 
devoted to the I^ord than a Baptist, or one immersed 
on profession of the ancient faith, I could not hesi- 
tate a moment in giving the preference of my heart 
to him that loveth most. Did I act otherwise, I 
would be a pure sectarian, a Pharisee among Chris- 
tians. Still, I will be asked, How do I know that 



Tiic Turbulent Period 191 

any one loveth my Master but by his obedience to 
his commandments? I answer, In no other way. 
But mark, I do not substitute obedience to one com- 
mandment for universal or even for general obedi- 
ence. And should I see a sectarian Baptist or Pedo- 
baptist more spiritually minded, more generally con- 
formed to the requisitions of the Messiah than one 
who precisely acquiesces with me in the theory or 
practice of immersion, as I teach, doubtless the 
former rather than the latter would have my cordial 
approbation and love as a Christian. So I judge, 
and so I feel. It is the image of Christ the Chris- 
tian looks for and loves; and this does not consist 
in being exact in a few items, but in general devo- 
tion to the whole truth as far as known." * 

THE INFLUENCE OF ENVIRONMENT CONSIDERED. 

In presenting this view, Mr. Campbell was careful 
to guard against the slightest suspicion that he 
would be disposed to compromise any teaching of 
the Word of God. He could not help recognizing 
the state of things around him. 

He knew that the religious movement, of which 
he was perhaps the most distinguished leader, really 
had its origin among the Pedobaptists, and not Bap- 
tists. It was the outgrowth of an earnest and intel- 
ligent study of the Word of God with respect to the 
great fundamentals of Christianity. Mr. Campbell 
was himself at first a Presbyterian, and nearly all 
the eminent men associated with him had been Pedo- 
baptists. It is not strange, therefore, that he was 
utterly opposed to surrounding the communion 

■'^ The whole of this article is \vorth a careful reading. 



IQ2 Reformation of the Nineteenth Century 

table with a sort of police arrangement by whicli all 
Pedobaptists should be excluded from participation 
in the Lord's Supper. 

In this view of the matter Mr. Campbell was 
strongly .supported by his co-editors of the ^Millennial 
Harbinger, W. K. Pendleton and Isaac Errett. 
During the year 1862 Mr. Krrett wrote several arti- 
cles on this question that may be justly ranked 
among the ablest he ever contributed to our litera- 
ture. 

A somewhat stricter view was advocated by Ben- 
jamin Franklin, then editor of the American Christian 
Review, George W. Blley, of Lexington, Ky., and 
others of note. However, the final conclusion 
reached, and which has been the theoretical position 
of the Disciples ever since, was that so far as Pedo- 
baptists are concerned, we should "neither invite nor 
exclude them from the communion table." Mr. 
Franklin stated his own position in the following 
language: 

There are individuals among the sects w^ho are 
not sectarians or who are more than sectar- 
ians — they are Christians or persons who have 
believed the gospel, submitted to it, and in 
spite of the leaders been constituted Christians 
according to the Scriptures. That these individuals 
have a right to commune there can be no doubt. But- 
this is not communion with the "sects." 

Where is the use of parleying over the question of 
communion with unimmersed persons? Did the first 
Christians commune with unimmersed persons? It 
is admitted that they did not. Shall w^e then delib^ 
erately do what we admit they did not do? 



The Turbulent Period 193 

When an nuimmersed person communes without 
any inviting or excluding^ that is his own act, not 
ours, and we are not responsible for it. We do not 
see that any harm is done to him or us, and we need 
make no exchisive remarks to keep him away, and 
we certainly have no authority for inviting him to 
come. 

If it is to be maintained that "except a man be 
born of water and of the Spirit he cannot enter the 
kingdom of God;" that "as many of us as have been 
baptized into Christ have put on Christ, ' ' as we have it 
in the Scriptures, and that none were in the church or 
recognized as Christians in apostolic times who were 
not immersed, it is useless for us to be talking 
about unimmersed Christians^ and thus weakening 
the hands of those who are laboring to induce all to 
enter the kingdom of God according to the Scrip- 
tures. 

We have nothing to do with any opeji communion 
or close communion. The communion is for the 
Lord's people, and nobody else. But if some 
imagine themselves to have become Christians 
according to the Scriptures when they have not, and 
commune, as we have said before, that is their act 
and not ours. We commune with the Lord and his 
people, and certainly not in spirit with any who 
are not his people, whether immersed or unim- 
mersed. We take no responsibility in the matter, 
for we neither invite nor exclude. 

The position as stated in the concluding para- 
graph, with slight modifications as to the phraseol- 
ogy, was finally accepted by the Disciples generally, 
and has ever since been regarded as a fair statement 
of their views on the subject. It is probable, how- 
ever, that they have not always been as careful in 

practice as this theory clearly suggests. Indeed, 
13 



194 Reformation of the Niiieieenlh Century 

there has generally been very little need for care on 
the subject. For the most part there has been quite 
as little desire expressed by Pedobaptists to fellow- 
ship at the I^ord's table with the Disciples as there 
has been with Disciples not to invite them. So 
far as practice is concerned, therefore, the whole dis- 
cussion of the communion question was of little 
actual use, for it really seldom happens that Disciple 
congregations have any occasion for meeting the 
supposed emergency in a practical way. 

As a matter of fact the whole subject was doubtless 
an importation. The Disciples' movement in Eng- 
land had early received large accessions from the 
Scotch Baptists; and these Baptists, being strongly 
wedded to restricted communion, brought with them 
their narrow views into the Disciple churches. 
These Scotch Baptists soon became the ruling spirits 
in most of the churches throughout the United King- 
dom, and the consequence was the whole movement, 
on the other side of the Atlantic, took on the severest 
type with regard to the communion question. 

In the earlier days of the movement there was little 
or no friction among the churches on the question 
under consideration. But about the year 1863 some 
of the leading brethren in Great Britain began 
to grow restless as to the attitude of the American 
churches with respect to their fellowshiping Pedo- 
baptists. Inquiries were accordingly made concern- 
ing the practice of the churches in America, and 
this led to the discussion to which I have referred. 

It is sufficient to say that there is now a practical 
unanimity on this question among the Disciples 



The Turbulent Period 195 

throughout the United States. Their view is to 
teach no hard and fast lines on the subject. They 
hold that it is the duty of all public teachers to de- 
clare faithfully the whole counsel of God, but having 
done this, it is not their duty to organize either a 
police force to protect the Lord's Supper from Pedo- 
baptists or to insult them by practically telling them 
that their room would be more acceptable than their 
company. In short, Disciples teach that it is wholly 
inconsistent to sing with, as well as engage in any 
other acts of worship with Pedobaptists, and then 
refuse to allow them, on their own option, to take of 
the Lord's Supper at Disciple meetings. Disciples 
are wholly unable to see how the one act of partak- 
ing of the Lord's Supper should become a test of 
Christian fellowship, while all other acts, wherein 
there is co-operation, should count for so little. 

Anyway, the communion question, so far as the 
Disciples themselves are concerned, was probably 
forever settled by the great discussion to which ref- 
erence has already been made; and not the least 
happy reflection in connection with this matter is 
the complete failure of the Evil One to precipitate a 
division among the Disciples on this question. 



III. 

THE BIRTH OF HERESY HUNTING— NEW 

QUESTIONS. 

The Disciple movement, up to tlie period now 
under consideration, had been m^ainly free from 
internal dissensions. There had been too much to 
do outside for troubles to incubate within. The 
whole movement had been in sharp conflict with 
almost the entire religious world. It meant prac- 
tically the overthrow of denominationalism,^and that 
evident purpose was apparent at once to the leaders 
of the sectarian hosts. It is not strange, therefore, 
that the Disciples had to fight for every inch of 
ground they gained in the earlier days of their his- 
tory. It could not have been otherwise. The very 
attitude they occupied toward the religious world 
compelled the state of things which was precipi- 
tated. 

It is, however, a curious fact in human experience, 
that some time or other every movement in society 
has to pass under review of its own promoters, and 
often these are less charitable to one another than 
they are to those regarded as enemies. Perhaps this 
tendency is akin to what has often been noticed 
when those who are closely related by blood or other- 
wise become estranged. The bitterest enemies are 
always those who have been the best of friends. 

Nowhere is the saying that extremes beget extremes 

(196) 



The Turbulent Period 1 97 

more forcibly illustrated than in the fact I have 
stated. 

WHEN PERSECUTION IS BITTEREST. 

But, however this may be, it cannot be denied 
that heresy hunting is usually conducted with a zeal 
in the exact ratio that it comes nearer and nearer to 
one's own associations. There is never much danger 
of one's being severely persecuted except by members 
of his own household. The fires of bigotry will not 
burn except in cases where those who use the torch 
are in some way closely related to the victim. 

The communion discussion ended without produc- 
ing the slightest division in the Disciples' ranks, but 
there was no longer that ease within their Zion 
which had characterized the early days of the move- 
ment. The old questions between them and the 
denominations, which had absorbed the attention of 
the pioneers, had become somewhat stale, and were, 
therefore, no longer so absorbing in interest as they 
had been. Many eyes had been turned inward, and 
some of these had fallen upon what appeared as a 
dangerous heresy. Some one gave Isaac Errett a 
doorplate, and on this appeared the cabalistic sign, 
"Rev.'.' But this was not all. Mr. Errett was then 
pastor of a church in Detroit, Mich., and had the 
good sense to issue a brief statement in pamphlet 
form, enumerating some of the principles held by 
the church for which he was preaching, and sonie of 
the things for which he was contending. This was 
at once stigmatized as a creed, although in the docu- 
ment itself it was distinctly stated that it made no 
such claim. 



198 Reformation of the Niiieteenth Century 

But the movement had fairly reached the period 
when heresy hunting was born, and consequently tliere 
were those quite ready to denounce the Detroit pas- 
tor as one who could no longer be trusted to "con- 
tend earnestly for the faith once for all delivered to 
the saints." 

ILLUSTRATING A GENERAL TENDENCY. 

This case was simply symptomatic. It illustrated 
a general tendency. It marked the beginning of an 
attempted supervision of freedom of action by a few 
self-constituted "keepers of the faith." No doubt 
these men felt they were doing God's service. For 
the most part they were men of excellent character, 
and were withal devoted advocates of the Disciples' 
plea. 

The two most representative publications of that 
time on the heresy hunting side, were the A. C. 
Review, edited by Benj. Franklin, and Lard's Quar- 
terly, edited by Moses K. Lard. These publications 
were outspoken in their condemnation of the Detroit 
heresy, and, catching the flavor of the thing, they 
seemed to ever afterward delight in pursuing that 
which savored of unsoundness. There is no ques- 
tion about the sincerity of the writers in the^e pub- 
lications. They were men who loved the cause 
ardently, and who would perhaps have sacrificed 
even life itself for their convictions. It was this 
very fact that made them so watchful and that gave 
such a zeal to their heresy hunting proclivities. 
Like Saul of Tarsus, in his opposition to the Chris- 
tians, they were "exceedingly mad" against every 



The Turhulejit Period 199 

one who refused to walk in the beaten paths of what 
was understood to be the traditional views of the 
Disciples, and they even persecuted those of this 
sort unto strange cities. It is not remarkable, 
therefore, that Detroit was invaded. L.est any one 
should imagine that I am overstating the bitterness 
of the opposition, it may be well to quote the follow- 
ing paragraph from Lard's Quarterly: 

"There is not a sound man in our ranks, who has 
seen the 'Synopsis,' that has not felt scandalized by 
it. I wish \ve possessed even one decent apology 
for its appearance. It is a deep offense against the 
brotherhood — an offense tossed into the teeth of the 
people who for forty years have been working 
against the devisive and evil tendency of creeds. 
That it was meant as an offense by the brethren who 
have issued it, I cannot think. Still their work has 
a merit of its own, a merit which no lack of bad 
intention on their part can atfect. Our brethren will 
accept this 'Synopsis' for what it is, not for what it 
may possibly not have been designed to be. We are 
told that this 'Declaration' is not to be taken as a 
creed. But will this caveat prevent its being so 
taken? Never. When Aaron's calf came out, had 
he called it a bird, still all Israel, seeing it stand on 
four legs, with horns and parted hoofs, would have 
shouted, A calf, a calf, a calf. The brethren 'meet- 
ing at the corner of Jefferson Avenue and Beaubien 
Street, Detroit,' may call their work in classic 
phrase a 'Synopsis,' or gently, a 'Declaration;' but 
we still cry, A creed, a creed. It is not the mere 
title of the work that constitutes it a creed, but its 
matter and form, together with the manner in which 
it is issued and the sanctions by which it is accom- 
panied. This Synopsis is a creed without the 



200 Reformation of the Nineteenth Century 

appropriate label — a genuine snake in the grass, 
wearing a honeyed name. 

"On its appearance in the American Christian 
Review, Bro. Franklin expressed his strong disappro- 
bation of this 'Synopsis,' while 'John,' an anony- 
mous writer, in his burlesque of it, has left us in no 
doubt as to the estimate in which he holds it. With 
these sound men I fully agree, except in so far as 
they seem inclined to treat the 'Synopsis' as a small 
matter. With the writer of this it has a painful 
significance — painful, because symptomatic of the 
following items: 

"(i) That some of our brethren have lost their 
former well-grounded opposition to creeds, and now 
are ready to traffic in these unholy things. This 
indicates a diseased state of the body. How far this 
disease extends will be seen by the extent to which 
the 'Synopsis' is endorsed. 

"(2) That these brethren are no longer willing to 
be styled heretics for the truth's sake, but now wish 
to avoid that odium by adopting the customs and 
views of the sects of the day and thus to become 
themselves a sect. 

"(3) That what the world needs in order to learn 
the faith of these brethren is not the Bible alone, but 
the Bible and a 'Synopsis of their faith and practice.' 
With them, then, the Bible is an insufficient 
enlightener of the human family. 

"At these symptoms of degeneracy our brother- 
hood will feel something more than mere regret. 
They will feel profoundly ashamed." 

THE ORGAN QUESTION. 

But this was not all. The organ question had begun 
to come to the front. Both the Review and the 
Quarterly were bitter in their opposition to the 



The Turbulent Period 201 

use of the organ in any of our churches, and the 
spirit of this opposition may be fairly measured when 
it is stated that only a few years after this period, of 
which I am writing, the editor of the Quarterly gave 
all supposed heretics the broad hint that he "had his 
eye on them," and that they would all be brought 
to a closer reckoning at the proper time. 

It is well to look back to these days in order to 
understand what must . have been the inherent 
strength of the plea which the Disciples advocated, 
in order that it might stand the shocks which were 
frequently given it. From our present point of view 
it is easy to see the Disciples have done some clever 
steering between Scylla and Charybdis. 

THE ONE-MAN SYSTEM. 

There was one sin which specially came under the 
condemnation of the heresy hunters. It was the 
priestly assumption that any one could be the pastor 
of a church. The tendency among our preachers to 
call themselves pastors was declared to be the rising 
of "the one-man power." The New Testament 
model was a bishopric containing a plurality of 
elders in every church, and consequently there must 
be a plurality now in every church, whether there 
.are men in the church who possess the scriptural 
qualifications or not. 

This logic constantly defeated itself. It insisted 
upon following the scriptural model, but the only 
thing in which this model was followed, in most 
cases, was in reference to the plurality of the elders; 



202 Reformation of the Nineteenth Century 

for in almost every other particular the men chosen 
to serve were practically without scriptural qualifica- 
tions. It seems almost incredible that, notwith- 
standing the fact stated, some of the ablest men in 
the Disciples' ranks not only defended the plurality 
notion, but they roundly denounced all who did not 
accept their interpretations as infallibly correct. 

The result of this teaching was that young men 
of little or no experience were often called "elders," 
simply because they occupied the pulpit of a church 
at the stated meetings. The term "Reverend," 
when applied to one of these preachers, had the very 
mark of the beast upon it, but this same stripling 
could be called an "elder" without shocking the 
sensibilities of heresy hunters in any degree what- 
ever. 

Of course, we now smile at these ridiculous 
things. They appear to be "mole-hills" to us, but 
we must remember that they were "mountains" 
to many in the sixth decade of the present century. 

HOW IJBERTY GROWS. 

Liberty is a curious growth. It feeds on the very 
things which are intended to kill it. But this, after 
all, illustrates a law of life. Real development is 
from the inner to the outer — from the heart to the 
physical and intellectual life. Bigotry moves in the 
very opposite direction, and when it reaches the 
heart it often corrupts it, or else changes it to a 
heart of stone. It follows the way of death, while 
liberty follows the way of life; one is ab extra and. 



The Turbulent Period 203 

the other ab intra. If the hand is bitten by a ven- 
omous serpent the course of death immediately sets 
in from the outer to the inner, from the circumfer- 
ence to the center; but all the forces of life run the 
other way. Bigotry is always at first an outside 
deformity, often a mere poisonous speck. But it is 
precisely at that time that it is most easily seen; 
for after a while it becomes assimilated to all that 
makes up the man, and though it is now a more 
powerful force than it was in the beginning, it does 
not appear so much a deformity as it did in the first 
place. We may get used to even a wart on the nose 
by constant association with it. 

There are still men among the Disciples who are 
fond of heresy hunting, but these, for the most part, 
belong to the age of which I am writing, or else 
they have inherited the peculiar theology which, 
when measured mathematically, makes five equal to 
ten. 

This class of men, no matter when or where they 
live, are always practically .condemning themselves 
in the very thing wherein they accuse others. They 
fight human creeds with all the powers they possess, 
as long as creeds are the product of other people; 
but these same heresy hunters do not hesitate to 
make a creed whenever they wish to try the faith or 
practice of their fellowmen. In short, they will not 
allow any one to make a creed for them, but they 
are more than willing to make a creed for all the 
rest of the world. This was exactly the spirit man- 
ifested by the creed-makers in the days when bigotry 
had its birth among the Disciples. 



204 Reformation of the Ninetee^ith Century 

MR. CAMPBKLL S POSITION. 

Surely, Mr. Campbell was in no way responsible 
for the birth of heresy hunting among his brethren. 
From the very beginning he had recognized the 
peculiar state of religious society with which he had 
to deal. He saw plainly that the church, when con- 
sidered from the New Testament point of view, had 
gradually gone into an apostasy, and that the move- 
ment in which he was engaged had for its object the 
restoration of the primitive gospel and order of things. 
But he did not expect complete success in this restor- 
ation until there was ample time for thought, in- 
vestigation and action. Meanwhile, he was always 
willing to deal charitably with honest, religious peo- 
ple, no matter how far wrong they might have been 
when tried by his understanding of New Testament 
teaching. In short, he was thoroughly convinced 
that there were Christians among the sects, notwith- 
standing these sects themselves occupied a false 
position when compared with what Christ and his 
apostles had taught upon the true attitude that 
Christians should occupy. It was from this point of 
view that he plead for Christian union. There 
would have been no sense in talking about Christian 
union if he had not recognized Christians outside of 
the churches with which he was specially identified. 

As evidence of Mr. Campbell's liberal spirit, I will 
make two extracts from his debate with Mr. Rice: 

*'No good, no religious, moral or virtuous man, 
can perish through our views or principles. Our 
theory thunders terrors to none but the self-con- 



The Turbulent Period 205 

demned. Human responsibility, in my views and 
doctrines, always depends upon, and is measured by 
human ability. It is so, certainly, under the gospel. 
The man born blind will not be condemned for not 
seeing, nor the deaf for not hearing. The man who 
never heard the gospel cannot disobey it; and he who, 
through any physical impossibility is prevented from 
any ordinance, is no transgressor. It is only he who 
knows and has power to do his Master's will, that 
shall be punished for disobedience. None suffer, in 
our views, but those who are willfully ignorant or 
negligent of their duty. Natural ability, time, 
place and circumstances are all to be taken into ac- 
count; and none but those who sin against these are, 
on our theory, to perish with an everlasting destruc- 
tion 'from the presence of the lyord and from the 

glory of his power. ' " 

"I circumscribe not the divine philanthropy — the 
divine grace. I dare not say that there is no salva- 
tion in the Church of Rome or in that of Constanti- 
nople; though certainly Protestants do not regard 
them as churches builded upon the foundation of 
apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ being the chief 
corner stone. In all the Protestant parties there are 
many excellent spirits that mourn over the desola- 
tion of Zion — that love the gospel and its Author 
most sincerely. My soul rejoices in the assurance 
that there are very many excellent spirits groaning 
under the weight of human tradition and error, who 
are looking for redemption from these misfortunes 
before a long time." 

Now if it be true that Mr. Campbell was liberal 
toward those outside of his own communion, it is 
equally true that he had the most supreme contempt 
for heresy hunting among his own brethren. The 
principles of the Reformation for which he con- 



2o6 Reformation of the Nineteenth Century 

tended guaranteed the fullest liberty of thought and 
the most untrammeled right of individual interpreta- 
tion which any one could possibly claim legitimately 
for himself. 

THE TRUE SPIRIT OF THE REFORMATION. 

Mr. Campbell never stated his doctrine of freedom 
in any special formula, so far as I have noticed, but 
I think his teaching may be fairly summarized to 
mean that he claimed (i) the right to think, speak 
and act for himself, without recognizing the right of 
any obtrusive interference from any source what- 
ever; and (2) what he claimed for himself, he was 
perfectly willing to grant to every other person. 

This was the spirit of the Disciples, in the main, 
up to the period when heresy hunting was born. 
Since then they have been trammeled, not only by 
influences from without, but also by influences from 
within. . Very small questions, in some cases, have 
been magnified into undue importance, while some 
of the larger questions have been discussed by a few 
with a narrowness of spirit quite unworthy of any 
great cause. 

Nevertheless, be it said to the credit of the Disci- 
ples that these heresy hunters have, for the most 
part, received scanty approbation, and upon the 
whole it cannot be denied that the spirit of the 
churches has always been in harmony with the great 
principles upon which the Reformation was founded. 
It is also true that most of the men in this move- 
ment who have made much impression upon their 
contemporaries, have been men who have always 



The Turbulent Period 207 

advocated a liberal policy, both within and without 
the communion. Before the sixth decade of the 
present century had ended, the battle for liberty had 
been practically won, and consequently since that 
time the flowing tide has always been with those 
who believe in freedom of thought, freedom of 
speech and the right of individual interpretation. 

I am not, I think, overestimating the tendency of 
the period under consideration. In proof of this I 
have only to refer to an article in the April number 
of Tardus Quarterly for 1865. After stating and 
discussing several things which were regarded as 
departures from the faith of the Disciples, the edi- 
tor says: 

"The spirit of innovation is a peculiar spirit. 
While coming in it is the meekest and gentlest of 
spirits; only it is marvelously firm and persistent. 
But when going out, no term but fiendish will de- 
scribe it. It comes in humming the sweetest notes 
of Zion; it goes out amid the ruin it works, howling 
like an exorcised demon. At first it is supple as a 
willow twig; you can bend it, mold it, shape it to 
anything; only it will have its way. But when 
once it has fully got its way, then mark how it keeps 
its footing. It now calls for reason, for argument, for 
Scripture, but no more has it an ear for reason, argu- 
ment or Scripture than has the image of Baal. Argue 
with the spirit of innovation, indeed! I would as 
soon be caught cracking syllogisms over the head of 
the Man of Sin. Never. Rebuke it in the name of 
the Lord; if it go not out — expel it. This only will 
cure it. . . . . .... 

"He is a poor observer of men and things who 
does not see slowly growing up among us a class of 



2o8 Reformatio}! of the Niiieteeiith Centiuy 

men who can no longer be satisfied with the ancient 
gospel and the ancient order of things. These men 
must have changes; and silently they are preparing 
the mind of the brotherhood to receive changes. Be 
not deceived, brethren, the devil is not sleeping. If 
you refuse to see the danger till ruin is upon you, 
then it will be too late. The wise seaman catches 
the first whiff of the distant storm and adjusts his 
ship at once. Let us profit by his example." 

This is very strong language, but it is fairly rep- 
resentative of the language used by certain scribes 
and speakers contemporaneous with the editor of the 
Quarterly . That it did not produce mischief in the 
end cannot surely be ascribed to what the language 
clearly implies, but to the inherent strength of a 
cause which was meant to battle against just such 
influences as are indicated in the heresy hunting pro- 
clivities of those self-constituted keepers of the faith 
represented by the language we have quoted from 
one of their leading periodicals of that period. 



IV. 

AN IMPORTANT CRISIS REACHED. 

WHAT THK PIvKA INVOLVED. 

This brings us to an important turning-point in 
the history of the movement. As has already been 
intimated, up to this period the Disciples were chief- 
ly engaged in aggressive work with respect to the 
unconverted and the numerous religious denomina- 
tions around them. Their plea involved at least 
three things: 

(i) The proclamation of the pure, simple gospel 
for the conversion of sinners. 

(2) The urhion of these converts (as well as all 
who acknowledge the one faith and the one baptism) 
upon the one foundation of apostles and prophets, 
Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone. 
.(3) The scriptural organization, edification and 
development of the churches of Christ. 

During the earlier days of the movement attention 

was given mainly to the first two of these divisions, 

and consequently organic and spiritual growth was 

somewhat neglected. But the Disciples had now 

reached a period when this crowning part of their 

work must receive the most serious consideration. 

They had evidently come to the parting of the ways. 

They had advanced a little beyond the first two 

divisions, and now they must either go backward 

or forward. To stand still was impossible. 
14 (209) 



2IO Reformation of the Nineteenth Century 

The war had not been an unmixed evil. It had 
made new conditions for nearly everything. The 
whole country had entered upon practically a new 
career. The old methods in either politics or reli- 
gion would no longer work, and consequently it was 
a time of readjustment; a time when success could be 
assured only by recognizing the conditions of society 
and meeting courageously the obligations which 
these conditions imposed. 

THE LAW OF PROGRESS. 

It is not too much to say that a crisis had been 
reached in the movement. It was impossible to 
make progress by many of the old methods, and yet 
some held on to the old with a tenacity worthy of a 
better cause. Nevertheless, it cannot be denied that 
these men were necessarily fighting a losing battle. 
The Disciples were simply following the course of all 
other movements of their kind, and these are more 
or less subject to certain laws which may be enumer- 
ated as follows: 

(i) As soon as a movement becomes strong as an 
aggressive force, it at once begins to spend part of 
its strength upon icself rather than upon the world 
about it. Its aggressive power becomes sensibly 
weaker in the exact ratio of the intensity of its 
self-examination. Much of its force is turned in- 
ward, and introspection takes the place of the pros- 
elyting tendency which is always characteristic of a 
new movement. 

All religious movements have had to pass through 
this period, and that of the Disciples cannot claim to 



The Ttwbuleitt Period 211 

be an exception to what is really a general rule. 
Before the war the whole strength of the movement 
was largely expended in evangelistic efforts, and in 
making known the principles for which the Disciples 
contended. But when they came to the period of 
readjustment and progress, on the lines of the new 
society which the war had produced, they found 
that they could not any longer work wholly upon 
the old lines with any hope of permanent success; 
and yet, there was great apparent danger that in 
their anxiety to set their house in order they would 
lose much of the evangelistic fervor which distin- 
guished them during the earlier period of their move- 
ment. That there was danger at this point is abun- 
dantly proved by subsequent events. 

(2")" While authoritative definition always has its 
evils, it is equally true that no definition at all is 
sometimes not entirely free from difficulty. The 
anti-creed doctrine of the Disciples was, in some 
respects, a boomerang. Having no authoritative 
interpretation of the Scriptures, every man became 
his own interpreter, and consequently there were 
times when it was eminently true that in the move- 
ment there were "all kinds of doctrine, preached by 
all kinds of men." 

This state of things would necessarily lead to con- 
siderable conflict within the body; but a conflict at 
this point would not likely be precipitated during a 
period of intensely aggressive work by the Dis- 
ciples, upon the world outside of their own churches. 
Nor was there much conflict with respect to matters 
of expediency, wherein definitions had to be con- 



2,12 Refor^natioit of the AHiieteenth Century 

sidered, during the earlier days of the movement. 

But when the period of introspection dawned, and 
the Disciples became deeply interested in their own 
organization and development, then it was that some 
of the straitest among them began to feel the 
reflex force of the anti-creed doctrine which they 
had so earnestly preached. When brethren began 
to think for themselves, with respect to church 
organization, the public worship and missionary 
societies, then it was that the most intense preachers 
of the anti-creed crusade began to feel the need of 
some interpretation of the Bible that would help 
them to scotch the forward movement which had 
broken with the obsolete methods of the past. 

There was really nothing new in the course pur- 
sued by the men to whom I have referred. They 
were only repeating history. Nearly every man 
has at least three Bibles in his house. One is the 
printed Bible; another is the man's interpretation of 
this printed Bible for the regulation of his own con- 
duct, and there is still another interpretation of the 
first Bible, which is for the regulation of his neigh- 
bor's conduct. 

It is all very well to say that we take the Bible 
and the Bible alone as our rule of faith and practice ; 
but in most cases it would help to a clearer under- 
standing of our position if, when we say this, we 
would at the same time state which Bible it is to 
which we refer. 

(3) Usually the period of a movement which 
brings with it introspection brings with it also the 
beginning of intellectual growth. It is the time 



The Turbulent Period 213 

which marks the dawn of culture and real, substan- 
tial progress, and at such a time there is sure to be 
considerable conflict between the past and the pres- 
ent. Ignorance is always the implacable enemy of 
legitimate progress. Hence there can be no real for- 
ward movement in any religious work without 
reaching a period where conflict will be surely 
developed between the two opposing forces to which 
I have called attention. 

As has already been intimated, the war settled 
several things. It at any rate stimulated activity. 
It also tended to turn the eyes of the Disciples from 
their religious neighbors to a careful consideration 
of their own faith and practice. This introspection, 
as I have called it, led to an earnest desire on the 
part of many to make progress somewhat commen- 
surate with the demands of the new conditions of 
society which had been evolved out of the war. 
These are called the "progressives." 

There were others, however, who refused to 
accept the changed conditions; or, if they were 
compelled to accept them, they utterly refused to 
adapt themselves to these conditions. These men 
were called the "anti-progressives." Thus, two 
opposing forces were definitely formed; still, not- 
withstanding that the opposition between them has 
sometimes been even bitter, like the centripetal and 
centrifugal forces of nature, these parties have, after 
all, contributed to the vigor, growth and harmony 
of the movement. 

It is a great mistake to suppose that opposite 
forces necessarily bring disaster. In commercial 



214 Reformation of the Nineteenth Century 

life we do not hesitate to say that competition is the 
life of trade. It is really the life of everything. 
Nature teaches us a great lesson on this subject. 
Where on the globe is it that we find the best 
developed men and women, both intellectually and 
physically? Do we look for them at the extreme 
north or the extreme south? Certainly not. They 
are found on a narrow belt of the earth, all the way 
around, just where the seasons are in eternal conflict, 
just where all the opposing forces of life are most 
active. The same is true with respect to the moral 
or religious world. Hence opposition, when legiti- 
mately met, is a means of progress. 

MORE CASUISTICAI. CONTROVERSY. 

It is not strange, therefore, that the Disciple 
movement had to pass through the experiences I 
have indicated; nor is it strange that the conflict 
precipitated became a formative force in developing 
the churches in the direction of legitimate growth. 
It is true that for a time there was a certain amount 
of danger that the controversies of the period would 
lead to division. There is always danger in every- 
thing that makes for life. Death is the end of all 
danger. The war itself, as we have already seen, 
put a heavy strain upon the fellowship of the Dis- 
ciples North and South, while the communion ques- 
tion affected for a while the convictions of the whole 
body. Meantime the organ question was beginning 
to occupy considerable attention. It was discussed 
in the A. C. Review^ the Millennial^ Harbinger^ 
Lard''s Quarterly and other periodicals of less influ- 



The Turbulent Period 



215 



ence. Such men as Moses E. lyard, A. S. Haydeii, 
Benj. Franklin, John W. McGarvey and Isaac 
Errett participated more or less in the organ discus- 
sion during the period under consideration. These 
men for the most part wrote temperately, but there 
were evidently underneath what they said very posi- 
tive convictions and deep feeling. 

Those who opposed the organ discussion, during 
this period, did so on the ground that it was unscrip- 
tural, and that consequently they could not worship 
where it was used. They held that those who advo- 
cated its use could have no conscience in the 
matter, and consequently by the law of love they 
ought to refuse to do that which wounded their 
brethren. 

But the advocates of the organ contended that 
their plea was contrary to Scripture, even if there 
was no precept or example for this use of the organ 
in worship. There were some, however, who con- 
tended that a legitimate interpretation of the Scrip- 
tures readily yields a support to the use of the organ. 
They also contended that they had a conscience in the 
matter just as much as their anti-organ brethren; and 
consequently they felt it to be their duty to contend 
for the use of it. 

The question of the scripturalness of mission- 
ary societies had its origin about the same time. 
It cannot be denied that at the very beginning 
of the movement Mr. Campbell in his Chris- 
tian Baptist had laid the foundation for much 
of the opposition which was now experienced 
with respect to organized missionary work. But 



2i6 Reformation of the I\'ineteemh Century 

Mr. Campbell's writings in the Christian Baptist 
must be interpreted in the light of the times 
in which he wrote and the conditions of his environ- 
ment. When this precaution is taken, Mr. Camp- 
bell never wrote anything in opposition to such 
missionary societies as were proposed by the Dis- 
ciples. But, however this may have been, it is 
certain that some excellent and earnest men were 
bitterly opposed to any such societies as then existed 
among us and as still exist. 

While it is not my purpose, nor does it come 
within the scope of my part of the work, to follow 
these discussions through the subsequent periods of 
the movement, nevertheless I feel that it would be 
out of place to close this chapter without remarking 
that there never has been the slightest chance for 
anything like a real schism in the body. Of course, 
there have been individual alienations on account of 
several differences, but it is certainly a magnificent 
testimony to the plea for which the Disciples con- 
tend that through all the controversies of the past 
their churches have uniformly maintained their fel- 
lowship for one another, and this result is un- 
doubtedly a great victory for intellectual freedom, as 
well as for freedom of action within that whole ter- 
ritory of conduct bounded by what is called expe- 
diency. 



V. 

THE DAWN OF IvlTERATURB AMONG THE 

DISCIPLES. 

THE OLD AND THE NEW. 

Before the close of the war the Disciples made 
little or no progress in producing a literature commen- 
surate with the needs of a great and growing re- 
ligious body. The prolific pen of Mr. Campbell 
had been busy all the while, but most of his writ- 
ings were controversial, and therefore, not suitable 
to meet the wants of the period of development, 
wherein spiritual growth was the great need. 
While the Disciples were conducting their work ob- 
jectively, so to speak, the polemics of Mr. Campbell 
and others were incomparably valuable; but when 
the work which had to be done was largely subject- 
ive, as was the case at the close of the war, then 
there was at once a felt demand for a different class 
of books and periodicals from those which had char- 
acterized the movement in its earlier days. 

It is not here affirmed that the war produced the 
conditions which required this change. All that is 
claimed is that the war period saw the beginning of 
the end of the old state of things. Doubtless there 
had been a growing sentiment for some time in favor 
of a forward movement in the character of the liter- 
ature produced, and this feeling began to find ex- 
pression during the war, and immediately after its 

(217) 



2i8 Reformation of the Xineteenth Century 

close. The Millennial Harbinger was still in the 
field, though Mr. Campbell had ceased to be its re- 
sponsible editor. He still wrote for it occasionally, 
but during those days he contributed very little that 
may be regarded as of any very special value. 

The size of the Harbinger was reduced in 1862, 
and Isaac Krrett was added to its co-editors. He, 
and those associated with him, began to give the 
pages of the Harbinger a little different type. This 
type indicated the dawn of a somewhat new litera- 
ture among the Disciples. 

At this time the American Christian Revieiv^ 
edited by Benjamin Franklin, was the only influen- 
tial religious weekly published in the interest of the 
movement. This paper, like nearly all the period- 
icals of the Disciples, had been chiefly occupied 
with what were called "first principles;" that is, 
those primary matters which relate to the preaching 
of the gospel and the simplest conditions of organic 
life. The paper was ably conducted from the point 
of view indicated, and for the uneducated masses it 
became a powerful influence for good. 

However, the conflict between the old and the 
new, to which attention has been called, made it 
impossible to perpetuate the type of advocacy to 
which the Reviezv had committed itself, and from 
which it refused to depart in the slightest particular 
whatever. This stubbornness or steadfastness, 
whichever word may be used, compelled a movement 
whose aim was the establishment of another weekly 
paper, which would more nearly meet the require- 
ments of life among the Disciples. This feeling 



The Turbulent Period '219 

took definite form toward the close of the year 1865, 
and consequently the prospectus of the Christian 
Standard was issued early in February of the follow- 
ing year, with Isaac Errett as its editor-in-chief. 
The first number of the paper did not appear until 
the following April, but all the arrangements were 
made for its publication before the death of Mr. 
Campbell, and consequently I am justified in reckon- 
ing it among the signs of the rise of a new litera- 
ture, following near upon the close of the war. 

NEW BOOKS DEMANDED. 

The books which had been published were prac- 
tically of the same type as the periodicals. They 
were excellent in view of the purpose for which they 
were written, but they certainly had very little in 
them to meet the conditions of the progressive spirit 
which was rapidly taking possession of the brother- 
hood. Perhaps the only books that had been pro- 
duced up to this time of any real value, as a special 
contribution to spiritual development, were "The 
Messiahship, or Great Demonstration," by Walter 
Scott, and "Communings in the Sanctuary," by 
Doctor R. Richardson. The former was a singu- 
larly strong argument in favor of the Messiahship of 
Jesus, and was well calculated to address powerfully 
the spiritual nature of Christians, as well as- produce 
conviction in the minds of sinners. With some re- 
visions it could still be made one of the most useful 
books ever published by the Disciples for both evan- 
gelistic work and spiritual development. 



220 Reformation of the Nineteenth Century 

From the beginning of their movement the Disci- 
ples had always taken a deep interest in translations 
of the New Testament. This feeling was strictly 
logical in view of their religious position. They 
magnified the Word of God as no other people did. 
It was, therefore, all-important that they should 
possess, as far as possible, the exact mind of the 
Holy Spirit in any translation that might be used. 
They felt that the authorized version, though incom- 
parable in many respects, was, nevertheless, in some 
important particulars, far from what it ought to be. 
Mr. Campbell had himself taught them to discredit 
King James' version, as he had published a version 
made by George Campbell, Philip Doddridge and 
others. Consequently, when it was proposed by the 
American Bible Union to publish a revised edition 
of the New Testament, the Disciples at once threw 
themselves into the proposal with a heartiness which 
did much to assure success; and as Mr. Campbell 
had been selected to translate the Acts of the Apos- 
tles, this fact gave additional interest to wiiat they 
already felt in the forthcoming work. 

The first edition of this translation was published 
in 1864. Upon the whole it was not very favorably 
received by scholars, and especially by those of the 
brotherhood. Its merits w^ere many, and these were 
at once distinctly recognized. But it was a disap- 
pointment with respect to some important points 
where better things had been expected. However, 
the work was accepted as an important step in the 
tight direction , and as such it was hailed with pleas- 
ure by the whole body of Disciples. 



The Turbulent Period 22 1 

About the same time a new translation, by H. T. 
Anderson, appeared. This was a scholarly and 
valuable contribution to a faithful rendering of the 
Greek of the New Testament into modern English. 
It was at once compared by the critics with the work 
of the Bible Union, and the result reached was gen- 
erally to the disadvantage of the latter. At the same 
time it was almost universally conceded that even 
Anderson's translation did not meet the requirements 
of the whole case. While it claimed to be a new 
translation, it was after all little more than a re- 
vision, and even this revision was not always strictly 
in harmony with the original. 

Nevertheless, both of these translations were very 
important, as they stimulated interest in the study of 
God's Word, while at the same time they emphasized 
the literary tendency, already referred to, as a char- 
acteristic of the period under consideration. 

About this time there was a strongly expressed 
feeling that the hymn book which had been so 
long in use needed a thorough revision, so that the 
hymnody of the churches could be brought up to the 
higher literary level which marked the period. The 
sentiment behind this expression had been growing 
for some years, but it did not take definite form 
until the annual meeting of the General Missionary 
Society in October, 1864. Prior to that time sev- 
eral brethren had been gathering material for a new 
hymn book. It was apparent that there was a 
chance for several rival hymn books to appear. 
This was thought by the wiser brethren very unde- 
sirable, and consequently an effort was made to 



222 Refarmation of the Nineteenth Century 

induce Mr. Campbell, who owned the copyright of 
the old hymn book, to turn his book over to the 
General Missionary Society, so that this society could 
provide for a thorough revision, and thus secure 
what was needed, while at the same time the 
churches would be supplied with one hymn book, 
instead of a number that might be regarded as 
rivals. 

This was believed to be an important step in order 
to preserve that harmony which had always char- 
acterized the brotherhood. The writer, perhaps, 
had as much to do with securing the transfer as any 
other man, though the task was not difficult for any 
one, as Mr. Campbell gave his consent readily, as 
soon as he was approached upon the subject with a 
clear statement of the whole case. However, it 
required some correspondence and personal conver- 
sation between parties mutually interested; and in 
all this I had the fullest participation, and conse- 
quently speak from personal experience as to the 
generous manner with which Mr. Campbell treated 
the request of his brethren. 

THE TRUE HISTORY OF THE NEW HYMN BOOK. 

The trust was accepted by the General Convention 
in 1864, and a committe accordingly appointed, con- 
sisting of Isaac Krrett, W. K. Pendleton, W. T. 
Moore, A. S. Hayden and T. M. Allen, to make the 
necessary revision of the old hymn book, as the 
changed condition of the churches seemed to de- 
mand; arid, as there has been some misstatement 



The Turbulent Period 223 

of the facts as regards the compilation of the book 
afterward published, it may be well, for the sake of 
historical accuracy, that I should give a somewhat 
detailed account of the whole matter, as I certainly 
have had a perfect understanding of all that took 
place from the beginning. 

At the commencement of the year 1865, I began 
my ministry with the Jefferson Avenue Church, 
Detroit, Mich., the church which had been so ably 
served by Isaac Brrett prior to my accepting the 
pastorate. In my room, during the early part of 
that year, the new hymn book was practically made. 
William Baxter and myself had been for some time 
gathering material ior a new book, but when the 
committee was appointed by the General Convention 
to revise the old book, Mr. Baxter generously 
allowed me the use of his contributions to the mate- 
rial which we had mutually brought together. My 
wife and myself took all this material, and after 
reading 20,000 hymns, besides those already col- 
lected, arranged the principal matter of the new 
hymn book. 

In this arrangement we intentionally put in about 
300 hymns more than was thought necessary in 
order that there might be plenty of room for a wise 
selection among hymns that were almost equally 
good. 

After this first selection had been made, Mr. 
Brrett and Mr. Hayden came to Detroit and remained 
several days working with myself and wife in going 
over everything we had done, reducing the hymns 
to about the right number, after adding selections 



224 Reformation of the Nineteenth Century 

of their own. Our united work was then taken by 
Mr. Errett to Bethany, where he and Mr. Pendleton 
went over the whole, making such revisions and 
suggestions as were thought proper. This work was 
then brought back to Detroit and finally revised by 
Mr. Errett, Hayden and myself. Mr. Allen never 
had anything to do with making the book. 

I have stated these particulars mainly for the pur- 
pose of doing justice to Mr. Hayden. In some of the 
accounts I have seen of the matter, scarcely any of the 
facts are stated correctly, while practically no credit 
is given to Mr. Hayden at all in the compilation of 
the book; whereas, his musical and poetic feelings 
were of great value in producing what has been de- 
clared to be the best book of psalmody in the English 
language. 

Several other books, papers and periodicals, be- 
sides those already mentioned, might be referred to 
as the product of the period under review, but as my 
purpose is not to present an exhaustive treatment, 
but rather to notice tendencies, I do not deem it 
necessary to enumerate any further than I have 
already done. 

NEKD FOR SPIRITUAL LITERATURE. 

Undoubtedly a new literature had dawned, though 
the full development of it has not even yet been 
reached. The hymn book itself was no small con- 
tribution to devotional literature, and this was pre- 
cisely one of the things that was needed among the 
Disciples of Christ. They had been engaged so 
much in polemics that there had been little time for 



The Turbulent Period 225 

the cultiV-'-ioa of the finer graces of the Christian 
life. 

Nevertheless, there was a strong feeling already 
developed, and also a continual growth of this feel- 
ing, that something different from the old contro- 
versial books and papers was absolutely necessary 
in order to a higher spiritual development; and, as 
proof that I do not overstate the case, I may say 
that G. W. Rice, the publisher of the A. C. Review, 
told me during the days of which I am writing, that 
of all the books he sold to the readers of his paper 
(and he sent by post a great many every week) 
Hannah More's Prayers equaled perhaps all the 
other books put together. This certainly shows 
that our brethren were longing for real spiritual 
food, for when the readers of the Review, which was 
intensely combative in its spirit, called for such a 
book as I have indicated, surely it cannot be doubted 
that the Disciples of Christ generally were in a mood 
for a little different kind of literature from what 
they had been accustomed to during their past his- 
tory. 

Ivet no one suppose from what has been stated 
that there is now no special need for the old litera- 
ture which was the product of the earlier writers of 
this movement. This literature ought never to 
become obsolete. In some respects even the Chris- 
tian Baptist is needed just as much to-day as it was 
in the days when it was first published. Its able 
discussions of fundamental principles have never 
been surpassed in anything that has been written 

since. Nor is it possible to supersede such works as 
15 



226 Reformation of the NinetecntJi Century 

the "Christian System," "Baptism: Its x^ntecedents 
and Consequents," by any modern books. These 
works have no equals in the matters they are 
intended to represent. They are simply without 
rivals. 

Nor is it possible for young men who are prepar- 
ing for the ministry to neglect these books without 
an irreparable loss in equipment for the great work 
which is yet to be accomplished. Indeed, it would 
add much to the strength of the present ministry of 
the Christian Churches if these great works of Mr. 
Campbell should be much more carefully and 
prayerfully studied than I fear is the case with 
many who imagine they have found all they need in 
some of the popular authors of the present day. I 
certainly do not mean that preachers should not have 
access to the best religious literature of the living 
age, but all the same, I would have them first become 
thoroughly grounded in the teachings of such men 
as Campbell, Scott, Richardson, Pendleton, Errett, 
etc., before drinking too profusely from the foun- 
tains of Dr. Fairburn, Ian Maclaren, and 
Dr. G. A. Gordon. However, when the well- 
balanced preacher has made himself familiar 
with the pioneer writers of our movement, he can 
then afford to read such books as "The Christ in 
Modern Theology," "The Mind of the Master" and 
"The Christ of To-day." These last mentioned 
are magnificent works, if we have once gained the 
proper critical point of view from which they may 
be considered; but whoever rushes into their pages 
without the necessary antecedent preparation may 



The Turbulent Period 227 

find out, when it is too late, that he has been build- 
ing without a scriptural foundation, and consequently 
has been building in vain. 

While, therefore, the movement in favor of a new 
literature was in the right direction, it would have 
been fatal to the best interests of the churches, if 
this new literature had practically set aside the old. 
But this was not the intention of those who plead 
for progress. The whole object was to make the 
new supplement the old, and thus meet a rising 
need which the old could not supply. The goal has 
not yet been satisfactorily reached, but there is 
undoubtedly a rising tide, and the prospect is at 
least encouraging that a literature not altogether 
unworthy of the Disciples of Christ is actually in 
sight. As proof of this rising tide, it is sufficient to 
state that of the devotional volume entitled, "iVlone 
With God," by J. H. Garrison, more than twenty 
thousand copies have been sold, and that the sales 
are increasing rather than diminishing. 



VI. 

NECROIvOGY. 

THE DEATH OF THREE GREAT MEN. 

Not very many eminent men among the Disciples 
of Christ went to their rest during the period of 
which I am writing; but those who did go were 
perhaps the most eminent and influential of all con- 
nected with the movement. I cannot now mention 
more than three, but the death of these three would 
have amounted to almost a calamity had it not been 
for the inherent strength of the movernent with 
which they were associated. 

WALTER SCOTT. 

The first of these heroes, in the order of time, to 
fall on the battlefield was Walter Scott, whose death 
occurred April 23, 1861. He had just returned from 
a preaching tour and was greatly disturbed on ac- 
count of the political troubles of the country. At 
first he seemed to be suffering with nothing more 
than a severe cold, but soon this developed into in- 
flammation of the lungs, which finally proved fatal, 
after only a few days of severe illness. He bore his 
suffering with heroic resignation, and died in the 
hope of that gospel which he had so often and so 
eloquently preached to others. 

I knew him personally for many years, and to 

(228) 



The Turbulent Period 229 

know him was to love liim. That which was per- 
haps most attractive about him was his childlike 
simplicity. Though endowed with a most superior 
intellect, which had been enriched by much reading 
and study, he was, nevertheless, unassuming as a 
little child. He was probably the most eloquent 
preacher, in some respects, that the Reformation has 
produced. I have heard him when he seemed almost 
iuspired. At such times he was indeed a master of 
assemblies. 

He was almost equally effective with the pen. 
Some of his works, though not entirely free from 
literary faults, are, nevertheless, among the best that 
have been produced by the movement with which he 
was identified. His power of generalization was re- 
markable, and his works entitled "The Gospel Re- 
stored' ' and "The Great Demonstration" made a 
profound impression upon all who read them care- 
fully at the time of their publication. They ought 
yet to be text-books with all young men who are 
preparing for the ministry of the Christian churches. 

The correct place of Walter Scott in the history 
of the Reformation has not yet been fully recog- 
nized. It is probably true that to him, more than to 
any other man, should be ascribed the rescue of the 
scriptural foundation of the church from the rub- 
bish which had covered it during the ages of the 
apostasy. He it was that declared that Christ him- 
self, and not dDctrines concerning him, was the true 
foundation on which to build the church. Doubtless 
others insisted upon the same thing about the same 
time, certainly Mr. Campbell did, but no one made 



230 Reformation of the Nineteenth Century 

this such a distinct fact and emphasized it with so 
much persistency and power as did Walter Scott; 
and it is a proof of his alniost prophetic foresight 
that this great fundamental truth of Christianity 
has become practically the common ground of fel- 
lowship among all well-informed Christians, and the 
inspiration of all evangelistic work. If Walter 
Scott had never done anything more than call atten- 
tion to the true foundation of the church and em- 
phasize the proper place of baptism as he did, he 
surely would not have lived in vain. But in addi- 
tion to this, his life was full of active service in 
building up the churches and in proclaiming the 
gospel to the unsaved. To sum up his work in a 
sentence: he was one of the most efficient evangel- 
ists, in the best sense, of modern times. 

WILLIAM HAYDEN. 

On the seventh of April, 1863, the beloved Will- 
iam Hayden fell asleep. He was a special friend 
and associate laborer of Walter Scott, though he 
was well acquainted with and much beloved by 
Alexander Campbell. 

In his early life Mr. Hayden was skeptical; and 
after his surrender of skepticism, he was still per- 
plexed by the confusions in the Christian world. He 
was particularly troubled about the matter of con- 
version, and through the- preaching of Walter Scott 
and others, and his reading of the Millennial Har- 
binger^ he finally saw his way to identify himself 



The Turbulent Period 231 

with the religious movement of which he afterwards 
became a distinguished light. 

He was a sweet singer as well as an earnest pro- 
claimer of the gospel. He was greatly beloved, 
especially by the brotherhood of Ohio. It was in 
this state that most of his labors were performed, 
and it is probable that he contributed more to the 
success of the cause in that state than did any other 
man. 

But as others have made reference to his life and 
character, it is only needful to say these few words 
while recording the fact of his death. 

ALEXANDER CAMPBELL. 

March 4th, 1866, will always be a memorable day 
in the annals of the movement of the Disciples of 
Christ. This was the day on which Alexander 
Campbell fell asleep in Jesus. He had been in fail- 
ing health for some time, but no one was quite pre- 
pared for the end when it came. His family and 
friends were so warmly attached to him that it was 
difficult to believe that he could be snatched away 
from them by even the ruthless hand of death. 
Nevertheless, he, as well as others, had to pass 
through the valley and shadow of death, though 
certainly he feared no evil, for he realized up to the 
last moment that the rod and staff of his divine I^ord 
would be with him and comfort him. Few men 
have lived more consistent lives, and equally few 
have given stronger evidence of perfect resignation 
in death than did Alexander Campbell. 



232 Reformation of the Nijieteenth Centtuy 

SOME GKNERAI. CHARACTERISTICS. 

Has Alexander Campbell ever been understood? 
Has his character been properly estimated? Has 
his influence upon the religious world received the 
attention which it deserves? These questions probe 
to the center of an inquiry which needs to be earn- 
estly and honestly made and answered. He has cer- 
tainly been misunderstood by many of those who 
opposed his religious teaching. It is impossible to 
believe that intelligent and candid men would inten- 
tionally continue to misrepresent any fellow-laborer 
in the great work of saving souls; and the notion, 
therefore, is at once rejected that his religious con- 
temporaries designedly meant to place him in a false 
light before the world. This conviction is deepened 
and strengthened by the fact that some of his own 
brethren were not able to clearly apprehend his re- 
ligious position, and consequently in not a few 
things they have misstated his teaching at several 
vital points. 

Even at the present time there are those, both out of 
and in the communion with which he was identified, 
who seem to wholly misunderstand the real signifi- 
cance of much for which he contended. Was his 
teaching, therefore, obscure? Certainly not. In 
the main it was as clear as a sunbeam. His literary 
style was somewhat Johnsonian, but his thoughts 
were never obscure. 

What, then, was the difficulty? Evidently this: 
he spoke to the prejudices of the age in which he 
lived. His teaching frequently slapped the convic- 



The Turbulent Period 233 

tions of men rio^ht in the face. His work was emi- 
nently aggressive from start to finish, and it is not 
surprising, therefore, that he was not understood by 
his contemporaries, for there is perhaps nothing so 
blinding as religious prejudice; and this is precisely 
what he had to meet at every point of the compass 
toward which he turned. 

It seems to me that three great general character- 
istics may be safely affirmed of Mr. Campbell: 

(i) His sublime faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. 
No one who was not intimately acquainted with him 
could form a just conception of how sublime this 
faith was. His whole religious system was Christo- 
centric. Christ was with him truly the "All in 
All." While his intellect swept the whole circle of 
theological investigation, his heart always rested 
upon the personal Christ. This fact gave a peculiar 
charm to his own personality. It lent a childlike 
simplicity to all his conduct. He seemed to live 
with one hand in the active duties which pressed 
upon him from every side, while the other securely 
grasped the hand of the personal Savior. 

ks already intimated, you had to be with him day 
by day to understand how completely he was domin- 
ated by his faith in the personal Christ. 

During the months of x\ugust and September, 
1862, I spent considerable time at Bethany. I had 
been in ill-health and had visited Bedford Springs, 
Pa., with the hope of recruiting my health. On my 
way home I made it convenient to visit the scenes 
of my college days and renew my personal fellow- 
ship with my revered president. He had changed 



234 Reformation of the Nineteenth Century 

considerably since I saw him. In some respects he 
was no longer the same man I had known; never- 
theless, in the matter of his faith, that seemed to 
have grown rather than to have decreased. I had 
many long and intimate conversations with him 
about almost every current topic of the time. We 
took frequent horseback rides together along the 
roads leading out of Bethany, and all who are ac- 
quainted with the scenery which meets the eye at 
every angle around that sacred spot will agree with 
me that many views are simply enchanting. 

In our conversation I frequently tried to see how 
long I could keep him from the great object of his 
thoughts, viz., the lyord Jesus Christ, and in every 
instance I found that all roads soon led up to Him 
who is "the chief among ten thousand, the one 
altogether lovely." On one occasion I remember 
that I felt sure I would succeed in diverting his at- 
tention for at least a little while. We were riding 
together and had reached a prominent elevation in 
the road where a most beautiful landscape was sud- 
denly unfolded to view. The picture was really en- 
trancinof. I called him to halt and beo^an to descant 
Upon the lovely scene before us. He at once deliv- 
ered one of the most eloquent tributes to the great 
Creator that I ever heard. I listened with almost 
amazement at his marvelous diction. But before 
giving me even an opportunity to say a word in re- 
sponse, he began to quote from the first chapter of 
Hebrews where it is declared that "God hath spoken 
to us in these last days by his Son," and that now 
"all things are upheld by the Word of his power." 



The Turbulent Period 235 

Then for at least ten minutes he held me perfectly 
spellbound as he went on to describe the matchless 
characteristics of the world's Redeemer. 

This instance furnishes only a sample of what I 
heard during my brief but long-to-be-remembered 
visit. He seemed to know very little about the 
things that were passing around him. The Civil 
War was then at its very height, and yet Mr. Camp- 
bell apparently thought little or perhaps nothing 
about it. He seemed to live entirely in the past and 
in the future — the present occupied practically none 
of his thoughts. With a great history behind him 
that enabled him to say, with the Apostle Paul, he 
had "fought a good fight, finished his course and 
kept the faith," he could and did say with the same 
apostle, that "henceforth there was laid up for him 
a crown of righteousness." It was this "hence- 
forth" that gave a peculiar sweetness to all of his 
thoughts. He simply lived in anticipation of the 
future life, and the special charm of that life to him 
consisted in the assurance that he should see Christ 
as he is and enjoy him forever. 

This sublime faith enabled Mr. Campbell to look 
with almost contempt upon the ordinary things 
around him. It has been said that his mind at that 
time was somewhat shaken, and that he was prac- 
tically a mental imbecile. As to whether this was 
true or not, much will depend upon the point of 
view from which we look at the matter. The links 
of his mind which bound it to earth were undoubtedly 
broken, but this does not prove that the real mind 
was in any respect shattered. The mental grasp 



236 Reformation of the Nineteenth Centnry 

of heaven was stronger than it had ever been, and 
may it not have been the intention of Providence to 
get him ready for the sublime glories of the future 
by weaning him away gradually from the present 
life? Possibly what we call a mental break-down 
may, after all, sometimes mean only a firmer grasp 
of spiritual things. There is a vast difference be- 
tween mental imbecility and the cutting loose from 
those things which hinder our constant communion 
with the spiritual world. 

( 2 ) His profound reverence for the Word of God 
may be distinctly emphasized as another ruling char- 
acteristic. He was not a book worshiper. He 
valued the Bible for what it contained. It was not 
the book itself, but the revelation in it, which com- 
manded his supreme loyalty. It was the Word of 
God that revealed to him the adorable character 
whom he worshiped. 

As proof that Mr. Campbell did not render any 
slavish service to a mere word-theory of inspiration, 
it is only necessary to state that he was among the 
first American biblical scholars to agitate the neces- 
sity for a revised version of our' English Bible, and 
when there seemed nothing else practical he pub- 
lished with emendations and alterations the version 
of George Campbell, Philip Doddridge and Jas. 
McKnight, This version was a rather free trans- 
lation of many important passages, and was an 
attempt to give us our English Bible in our modern 
vernacular. 

While, therefore, Mr. Campbell was no slavish 
literalist, this fact did not in any way weaken his 



The Turbulent Period 237 

great reverence for the Word of God. He believed 
with all his heart that the Bible contained God's 
spoken revelation to the world. 

This fact made his faith in the Christian religion 
a living reality. He felt that his faith was supported 
by a firm foundation, and consequently he had no 
fears that any assault of infidelity could possibly 
finally succeed. I have never known a man whose 
confidence in the Bible was more supreme. It was 
this confidence which led him to make it the 
source of final appeal in all matters of religious con- 
troversy. With him a "thus saith the I/ord," with 
respect to any important religious question, was the 
end of all discussion. 

This fact gave the reformatory movement with 
which he was identified a distinct character, and 
differentiated it at once from all other religious 
movements. I^uther's reformation was mainly a 
plea for liberty of conscience. It was a protest 
against the obtrusive interference of officialism in 
controlling the individual soul. Calvin's great work 
was a plea for the sovereignty of God in opposition 
to works of supererogation, and Wesley contended 
for the responsibility of man for all the powers and 
opportunities that God has given him. While Mr. 
Campbell accepted all the good for which these 
three great men contended, he at the same time 
insisted upon the supreme authority of the Word 
of God relative to all matters of faith and prac- 
tice. 

Hence Luther's reformation finally gave the Word 
of God to the people; Calvin's inspired it with rev- 



238 Reformation of the Niiteteenth Century 

erence, and Wesley's earnestly impressed upon the 
world the responsibility which that Word enjoins; 
but Campbell really taught the world how to read 
the Bible and what its authority is in reference to 
all religious matters. 

From this standpoint it is easy to see how this 
profound reverence for the Word of God came to be 
such a vital force in his life. At any rate it is 
unquestionably true that his confidence in the teach- 
ing of the Bible had much to do in building up and 
sustaining the splendid character which he mani- 
fested to the world. 

(3) His consecrated life is another great factor to 
be considered while looking at his general char- 
acteristics. There is only one word, after all, which, 
in the final analysis, expresses what will stand the 
severest test. " That word is character, and 
character is practically the sum of our living. It is 
what we are, not what we appear to be. Rep- 
utation is what men see, but character is what God 
sees. 

A consecrated life, therefore, is fundamental in 
the building up of any really noble character. Con- 
sequently all Mr. Campbell's great gifts would have 
counted for very little if his life had not been right 
in the sight of God. 

But no one who knew him intimately could for a 
moment doubt that all his great powers were 
thoroughly consecrated to the service of the Lord 
Jesus Christ. He gave a reasonable amount of 
attention to secular affairs, but this was because sec- 
ular success, to a certain extent, is necessary in 



The Turbulent Period 239 

order to the highest spiritual good. No man can be 
an efficient preacher of the gospel, as he ought to be, 
if he is crushed by a load of temporal disasters. He 
never can preach his best when he knows his family 
is half starving at home. Business tact and good 
management are not, therefore, to be despised in 
either character-building or in the carrying on of 
any great enterprise for the best interests of the 
world. Mr. Campbell made ample provision for 
home comforts, but he did not lay up treasures on 
earth for the sake of these treasures. He kept a 
certain amount of capital invested on which he did 
business for the Lord; but he never attempted to 
make a fortune either for himself or for any one 
else. Everything he possessed was constantly in- 
vested in work for the Master, though to the world 
generally this fact may not have been wholly 
apparent. Sometimes fairly well-to-do men are not 
understood by their neighbors, simply because these 
neighbors do not understand that no man can suc- 
ceed, as even a generous giver for benevolent pur- 
poses, unless he has something to give. 

I happen to know that Mr. Campbell was most 
generous in his benefactions, and that his hearty 
willingness to help those in need was one of the 
proofs of his consecrated life; but at the same time ii" 
is perfectly true that he could not have been the 
friend in need that he always was had he not exer- 
cised good business sense in the management of sec- 
ular affairs.- 

An3'way it cannot be doubted that the last char- 
acteristic I have mentioned as belonging to Mr. 



240 Reformation of the Nineteenth Century 

Campbell was so pre-eminently true of him that no 
sort of estimate of him would be correct without 
giving this the most prominent place. In whatever 
place else he may have failed he certainly did not 
fail in the matter of a consecrated life. 

SOME SPECIAL CHARACTERISTICS. 

Mr. Campbell's character was made up of so many 
elements, and some of these were so subtle that it is 
very difficult, by any known laws of analysis, to tell 
exactly how these different elements were blended 
together. ^Nevertheless, it is possible to trace with 
considerable accuracy the lines which mark the 
influence of a few of the elements that entered into 
the compound. The following, I think, will be at 
once recognized by all who knew him intimately: 

(i) He had a sound mind in a sound body. He 
was physically one of the finest specimens of a man 
I have ever known. Every part of his body was 
well proportioned, and when he stood before you, 
you could not help feeling that you were in the 
presence of no ordinary personage. He possessed in 
a high degree that indescribable something which 
the French call tout ensemble ^dMdLysrhxoh is so import- 
ant in making a general impression. It is very 
seldom that w^e carefully analyze anything when we 
are first introduced to it, and even if we do, it is 
not often that we are conscious of the mental pro- 
cess; and yet a first impression is nearly always the 
most lasting. It is precisely this fact which gives 
some people their greatest advantage. They prac- 
tically disarm criticism before the time for criticism 



The Turbulent Period 241 

arrives. Mr. Campbell had this power beyond any 
one I have ever known, and much of it was doubt- 
less owing to his splendid physical development. 
The following extract from a sketch of hitn in the 
volume entitled, " Lectures on the Pentateuch," 
presents this feature of his character in a striking 
manner': 

"In person God set the stamp of a man of power 
upon Alexander Campbell. In height he was five 
fleet, eleven inches; and when in health and in his 
prime, muscular without fleshiness; his brain vig- 
orous rather than massive, but well-balanced; his 
nose aquiline, and his very dark blue eyes had an 
eagle's fire. He was well formed and in every way 
well proportioned. Up to within four 3'ears of his 
death he sustained a healthful and spirited tempera- 
ment, combined with remarkable vigor of mind and 
physical energy, but during the last two or three 
years of his life the manifest power in his face, the 
kindly humor which was wont to twinkle under his 
eyebrows, as well as his genial and animated expres- 
sion of countenance, gradually diminished." 

However, it was his great mind which gave his 
body its impressive meaning. In short, the phys- 
ical and intellectual were harmoniously united in 
him, and this fact gave a symmetrical and 
unique development to all that made up his whole 
manhood. 

(2) He possessed marvelous powers of generali- 
zation. Very few speakers or writers have excelled 
him in this respect. His mind was pitched on a 
lofty plane, and this fact made him somewhat impa- 
tient with small men or small things. Whoever 
16 



242 Reformation of the Nineteenth Century 

will read his debate with Mr. Rice will not fail to 
notice the difference between the two men as 
regards the point now under consideration. Mr. 
Campbell's patience was often severely tried by the 
somewhat pettifogging tactics of his opponent. Dr. 
R. Richardson fitly describes the two men as fol- 
lows: 

"The disputants, indeed, throughout, presented 
quite a contrast as to their weight of metal and 
modes of warfare. The one was the light-armed 
Saracen circling round and round his opponent upon 
his fleet courser and stealthily endeavoring to wound 
him with his arrows. The other was the mailed 
Crusader upon his powerful charger, calmly receiv- 
ing the missiles upon his shield or seeking to pros- 
trate his enemy with a blow of his battle-axe." 

Equally suggestive is the figure used by the 
Protestant Churchman, an Episcopal paper, which 
savs: 



k t 



Mr. Campbell was like a heavy Dutch-built 
man-of-war, carrying many guns of a very large 
calibre, whilst Mr. Rice resembled a daring and 
active Yankee privateer, who contrived by the live- 
liness of his movements and the ease with which he 
could take up his position for a raking fire, to leave 
his more cumbrous adversary in a very crippled con- 
dition at the close of the fieht." 



'c> 



Mr. Campbell was a comprehensive general, 
marshaling his forces in regular military order, and 
conducting the battle according to the most approved 
rules of tactics; while Mr. Rice was practically a 
euerrilla captain, always on the lookout for a special 



The Titrbulent Period 243 

opportunity to strike a blow at some unexpected 
point, and whose victories were always won, if won 
at all, by suddenly surprising small and unguarded 
companies. He never gave battle where the terms 
were equal, nor were his tactics generally in har- 
mony with the accepted rules of honorable discus- 
sion. 

I do not say that this was intentional on his part. 
I prefer to regard it as constitutional. Mr. Rice was 
a born special pleader. On the other hand, Mr. 
Campbell had a contempt for any small trick by 
which he might gain an advantage over his oppo- 
nent. He would never have owned a victory if it had 
been won at the expense of principle. His powers 
of generalization were such that he depended mainly 
upon great, comprehensive arguments rather than 
upon mere verbal criticisms or the inconclusive re- 
sults of isolated syllogisms. His reasoning was sys- 
tematic. His theology was constructed upon broad 
lines and his arguments moved in large and compact 
battalions. 

Indeed, his fondness for generalization frequently 
exposed him to apparently successful attacks by 
some of his comparatively insignificant antagonists. 
By making a big dust in a small place they created 
the impression that they had achieved a real suc- 
cess, when as a matter of fact they had only 
obscured the vision a little by the dust which they 
created. 

Nevertheless, this class of men seemed to take 
special delight in following the great champion of 
the new religious movement and watch-ing for every 



244 Refonnation of the Nineteenth Century 

opportunity where they could in any way impede his 
progress or strike a blow at some unprotected place 
in his armor. Really, in estimating the character 
of many of those who opposed him, it is impossible 
to come to any other conclusion than that he was 
practically cursed with the smallness of the men who 
hounded his pathway. Among his bitter opponents 
there can scarcely be found a man who was really a 
foeman worthy of his steel. Of the truly great men 
who differed from him, there was not one who 
treated him unfairly. It was the little men who 
always manifested an ugly spirit. It was a case of 
the gnat on the ox's horn. This fact of itself is suf- 
ficient to illustrate the difference between greatness 
and mediocrity. 

(3) He was also characterized by great independ- 
ence of thought and action. It was impossible for 
him to be a bigot. His reverence for the Word of 
God, to which reference has already been made, was 
such that he could not help contending earnestly for 
what he honestly believed that Word teaches, but 
he was always willing to hear what the humblest 
had to say, no matter how much the saying might 
be contrary to his own conviction. Believing in 
freedom of thought and action for himself, he was 
altogether too generous to deny this great boon to 
others. 

It was doubtless owing to his great independence 
that he was enabled to practically strike down the 
religious tenets which he had held in his youth. 
We all walk almost exclusively by faith until we 
reach the age of retrospection. We receive from 



The Tin^bident Period 245 

our parents and instructors whatever they say with 
unquestioning trust. This Mr. Campbell did during 
the days when his character was in process of form- 
ation. But when he arrived at the period when 
every young man begins to look back upon his life 
and re-adjust himself for the conflicts of the future, 
Mr. Campbell did what comparatively few young 
men ever do. He had the independence to recon- 
struct his religious thinking, and to start out on 
practically new lines with respect to many matters 
that had swa3'ed him in his^outh. 

This absolute freedom of thought followed Mr. 
Campbell to the end of his life. His mind was 
always open to any new truth or any new phase of 
truth. He knew well enough that no one, during the 
short pilgrimage of the present life, can possibly com- 
pass the whole area of facts and principles; conse- 
quently he did not really hope to learn all there was 
to be learned, though he never ceased to be a most 
diligent student, even after he had practically re- 
tired from active life. The peculiarity now under 
consideration greatly contributed to Mr. Campbell's 
work as a reformer. Indeed, it was absolutely essen- 
tial in order to succeed in his great undertaking. 
His reformatory movement was, in many respects, a 
sort of religious eclecticism. He had to choose the 
truth wherever he found it; but if he had been 
swayed by prejudices, it is impossible to believe 
that he could or would have been thoroughly loyal 
to the voice of truth whenever it came to him. 
Yet no one will accuse him of any failure to follow 



246 Reformation of the Nineteenth Century 

his honest convictions, no matter where these might 
lead him. 

In the early days of the church it was iVthanasius 
against the world, but in the first half of the nine- 
teenth century it was practically Alexander Camp- 
bell against the world. Nevertheless, he did not 
flinch in this unequal contest. Standing practically 
alone, he utterly refused to surrender to, or com- 
promise with, those who opposed his great work in 
the interests of a return to the faith and practice of 
the apostles. 

(4) He was the personification of justice, gen- 
erosity and courtesy. Something has already been 
said concerning his methods in controversy. It may 
be well to illustrate his character a little further 
from the same point of view. It must be remem- 
bered that he lived in the controversial period of his 
religious movement, and consequently it is probable 
that the religious controversies in which he engaged 
were really unavoidable. Anyway he felt that it 
was his duty to "contend earnestly for the faith once 
for all delivered to the saints," as he understood it, 
no matter who might oppose him. His sense of jus- 
tice compelled him to take this course. Still, it 
must be said to his credit that in all of his religious 
debates he was the very soul of generosity and cour- 
tesy toward his opponents. 

A recent writer in the Christian- Evangelist^ in an 
article entitled, "Archbishop Purcell on Alexander 
Campbell and his Work," affirms that the arch- 
bishop, in a conversation with him, praised Mr. 
Campbell's great fairness as a disputant in the high- 



The Turbulent Period 247 

est terms. I can fully confirm this statement by 
what Archbishop Purcell told me. In 1868 I was 
preparing to go to Enrope, and thinking that I 
might have need for some introduction to church 
dignitaries while in Italy, I called on Archbishop 
Purcell and asked him to give me a letter to his 
Roman Catholic friends. This he very cordially did, 
and the letter was of considerable service to me 
while I was in Rome. 

During my visit to the archbishop we spent more 
than an hour together, mainly in religious conversa- 
tion. It was not long until Mr. Campbell's name 
was mentioned. This furnished him an occavSion to 
say several things, all of which were highly compli- 
mentary to Mr. Campbell. On another occasion I 
had a long talk with him, and his same high opin- 
ion of Mr. Campbell, especially as a controversialist, 
was very distinctly emphasized. He made this 
opinion impressive to me by contrasting Mr. Camp- 
bell with another disputant with whom he had just 
had a written controversy. His comparison between 
Mr. Campbell and his later opponent was by no 
means flattering to the latter, but his estimate of the 
latter added a spice and vigor to all the praise which 
he was pleased to bestow upon Mr. Campbell. 

It is well known that Mr. Owen was equally lav- 
ish in his statements concerning Mr. Campbell's 
courtesy in debate, and it is probably true that all 
the great men with whom he had controversy would 
have borne willing testimony to this characteristic 
trait, if they had been interrogated upon the subject. 

To sum up under this head, it is only necessary 



248 Reformation of the Nineteenth Centnry 

to say that Mr. Campbell was a tliorongh gentleman; 
and the gentlemanly character never shows itself 
more readily or more prominently than when it is 
strongly tested by opposing forces. Almost any one 
can be courteous when everybody is obliging and 
where all influences tend to good humor; but the 
case is very different when everything is pulling the 
other way. To be? courteous, then, is to be virtuous. 
(5) Mr. Campbell possessed, in the highest de- 
gree, that most remarkable yet indefinable power 
which enabled him to perceive the truth wherever 
found, and to place every truth perceived by him in 
its proper logical relation to every other truth. His 
most intimate friends attributed this to an extraor- 
dinary intuitive faculty. But it is difficult to say 
with certainty just what such a power should be 
called. That it should be ascribed to intuition may 
be seriously doubted. His whole type of mind was 
cast in a different mold from that which suggests a 
predominating intuitive faculty. I, therefore, prefer 
to regard this great characteristic from another point 
of view entirely. His mind was eminently logical; 
consequently, when he once became stationed at the 
proper standpoint, he was enabled to follow truth 
along all of its legitimate lines. He could antici- 
pate results, because he knew just what results 
would follow, in order to meet the logical conditions 
of the case. As an instance of this it is only neces- 
sary to refer to his remarkable prediction in his de- 
bate with Mr. Rice, concerning Rev. 19: 13. He 
declared that the phrase, "dipped in blood," ought 
to be "sprinkled with blood," and that probably a 



The Turbulent Period 249 

manuscript would yet be found whicli would give 
the Greek verb rantidso^ rather than bapto^ as it 
was in the received Greek text. It is needless to say 
that when the Codex Sinaiticus was found, his pre- 
diction was in every way verified; and now the Re- 
vised Version has "sprinkled with blood" instead 
of "dipped in blood." Surely, no more striking 
illustration of the peculiar gift which I am consid- 
ering could possibly be given. 

His logical cast of mind enabled him to see all 
truth in association. This is why his work was 
eminently constructive as well as destructive. He 
opposed the evils which he found in Christendom, 
not so much because he delighted in opposition as 
because these evils stood directly in the path of the 
constructive system which he was trying to build 
up. They fell straight across the electric lines, so 
to speak, so that the current of truth could not pro- 
ceed unobstructedly on its way. But when these 
evils were removed and the breaks mended, he was 
enabled to see the end from the beginning with 
respect to all great religious truth. 

What we call telepathy is probably only another 
name for suggestion in the world of mind; and if 
this be true it is not difficult to understand how it 
is that a thoroughly logical mind will often have 
one truth suggested by another. Contact with the 
first at once brings into view the second, while this 
second truth immediately suggests another, and so 
on to the end of the line of communication. 

Now if this view of the matter be philosophically 
correct, it is easy to see how such a man as Mr. 



250 Reformation of the Nineteenth Century 

Campbell, when once properly located with respect 
to religious questions (as he was by the celebrated 
"Declaration and Address"), would necessarily con- 
struct a religious system that would be harmonious 
in all its parts and would also be consistent with the 
point of view occupied by the author. 

This is precisely what may be said of Mr. Camp- 
bell's constructive theology. Whether one agrees 
with him or not, it is impossible to find fault with 
the consistency of the system. It certainly holds 
together, and is in perfect harmony with the point 
of view from which it was constructed. It contains 
no contradictions. Neither did Mr. Campbell make 
any mistakes in matters of fact or interpretation 
while advocating it. I doubt if there is another 
instance in history where this consistency is more 
distinctly marked than in the case of Mr. Campbell's 
teaching. Of course, I do not mean that none of 
his positions or interpretations may not be ques- 
tioned. We have more light now than he had. We 
have all the advantage of what he wrote with many 
other advantages he did not possess. Nevertheless, 
it is by no means certain that even with our supe- 
rior opportunities we are able to show a more excel- 
lent way in many of the things for which he con- 
tended. Taking him all in all, as a biblical expos- 
itor, we doubt if his main positions will ever be 
successfully controverted; and it may be truthfully 
affirmed, I think, that much of the great strength of 
the plea for which he contended lies in its philo- 
sophical harmony. 



TJie Tiii'bulent Period 251 

SOME SPECIAL CHARACTERISTICS. 

Some have found fault with Mr. Campbell's phi- 
losophy. He was a disciple of I^ocke. But the 
Ivockian system did not bind him at points where 
that system is faulty. • He did not tie himself to any 
school or schools. His remarkable independence, 
which has already been referred to, practically eman- 
cipated him from any kind of bondage whatever, 
except service to Christ. He recognized only one 
Supreme Master, and he was a bond-slave to him. 
This very fact helped him to be free with respect to 
all other teachers. He could not serve two masters, 
and consequently he acknowledged no allegiance to 
any other teacher. He was supreme in his own 
manhood, because in him dominated the imperial 
Christ. 

(6) He was a great orator, if not one of the 
greatest the nineteenth century has produced. 
This statement will doubtless be questioned by some 
who have heard him speak; but before fault is found 
with my statement, it may be well to first determine 
who is the true orator. The popular understanding 
of this matter is probably incorrect. Archbishop 
Whately says the orator is one who by honorable 
means carries his point. If this definition be true, 
then unquestionably Mr. Campbell was a great ora- 
tor. No man was ever more successful before an 
audience in carrying his point. He certainly did 
not possess the peculiar magnetism of some of the 
great speakers who have been known to sway assem- 
blies, and to hold "listening senates breathless on 



252 Reformation of the Nineteenth Century 

their eloquence," but all the same, he was a true 
orator within the scope of Archbishop Whately's 
definition. 

His honorable methods in pleading a cause have 
already been referred to, and it is, therefore, only 
necessary to know that wherever he went large mul- 
titudes flocked to hear him, and these seldom went 
away from under the spell of his discourse without 
carrying with them the conviction that what he said 
was eminently true. 

In this connection I am glad to quote as authority 
the statement of such a distinguished man as Jere- 
miah S. Black, who was Attorney-general of the 
United States under President Buchanan's adminis- 
tration. Judge Black, in a speech delivered at the 
time of the presentation of Mr. Hart's bust of Mr. 
Campbell to Bethany College, says: 

"As a preacher he will be remembered with un- 
qualified admiration by all who had the good fortune 
to hear him in the prime of his life. The interest 
which he excited in a large congregation can hardly 
be explained. The first sentence of his discourse 
'drew audience still as death,' and every word was 
heard with rapt attention to the close. It did not 
appear to be eloquence; it was not the enticing 
words of man's wisdom; the arts of the orator seemed 
to be inconsistent with the grand simplicity of his 
character. It was logic, explanation and argument 
so clear that everybody followed it without an effort, 
and all felt that it was raising them to the level of a 
superior mind. Persuasion sat upon his lips. Pre- 
judice melted away under the easy flow of his elo- 
cution. The clinching fact was always in its proper 
place, and the fine, poetic illustration was ever at 



The Tiirbitleiit Period 253 

hand to shed its light over the theme. But all this 
does not account for the impressiveness of his 
speeches, and no analysis of them can give any idea 
of their power. " "^ 

I well remember how the students of Bethany 
College regarded Mr. Campbell as preacher during 
the time of my collegiate days. 

As we heard him every week-day we sometimes 
imagined that it would be a relief if some other 
preacher would occupy the pulpit on Sun- 
day. Occasionally we had an opportunity to have 
our desires gratified. But I do not remember a 
single instance where there was not an immediate 
cry for the "old man eloquent" in his proper place. 
Generally one experiment of this sort was sufficient 
for an entire semester, even though the substitute 
was a man of eminent ability. Every other speaker 
in the Bethany pulpit, who attempted to occupy it 
when Mr. Campbell could be at his post, did so 
at the great risk of his popularity, for the students 
as a rule could not tolerate any one else in that pul- 
pit for any length of time. 

It is well known that Mr. Campbell's morning 
lectures formed an important feature of his teaching; 
But I think it may be safely affirmed that the value 
of these lectures has not been generally understood. 
Doubtless they conveyed considerable useful infor- 
mation to the students, but I am thoroughly con- 
vinced that we must not look here for their chief 
value. The lectures were inspiring. They carried 
with them Mr. Campbell's great personality. As 
delivered from the chair in which he sat they pos- 



254 Reformation of the Nineteenth Ce^itury 

sessed an indescribable charm. As I think of the 
impression they made upon me, I cannot now 
remember many of their statements as to facts, 
either of history or religion, that have been of special 
value to me in my life work; but I very distinctly 
remember that I never heard one of these lectures 
during the whole of my collegiate course without 
feeling that it had imparted to me strength and in- 
spiration for the great struggle of character-building, 
while even to the present time I feel the throbbing 
impulses of his marvelous talks ringing through my 
whole system whenever my mind turns back to my 
college days. 

After all, it is not so much information that we 
need as inspiration. Life is not made up of angles 
and triangles, of crucibles and retorts. Truly has it 
been said: 

"We live in deeds, not years; in thoughts, not breaths; 
In feelings, not in figures on the dial. 
We should count time by heart-throbs. He most lives 
Who thinks most, feels the noblest, acts the best." 

MR. CAMPBELL AND HENRY CLAY. 

Mr. Campbell was not only a great orator himself, 
but he also had the very finest conception of what 
true oratory really was. He once told me of his 
experience in hearing Henry Clay. Mr. Campbell 
was in Lexington and, learning that Mr. Clay was 
to make a speech in a celebrated slander case, he 
(Mr. C.) determined that he would hear the cele- 
brated Kentucky orator, if it were possible to do so. 
Through friends he secured a commanding seat. 



The Turbulent Period 255 

Mr. Clay was defending a woman who had been 
slandered. The court room was crowded to suffo- 
cation. Mr. Clay was sitting at his desk, whit- 
tling with his penknife, while he occasionally spoke 
to some of the lawyers who were sitting around him, 
though in the main he seemed utterly indifferent to 
the fact that he was the center of attraction for all 
the e3'es in that great throng. 

At last he began to address the jury. Mr. Camp- 
bell had placed himself in the attitude of a cold 
critic. He determined to fathom, if possible, the 
secret of Mr. Clay's power. In any case, he was 
not going to be carried away by any emotional 
appeal. He was there for the purpose of investigat- 
ing a great point, and he meant to do it with as 
much composure as if he had been in a chemical 
laboratory, working with one of nature's simple 
problems. 

At first Mr. Clay said nothing that was above the 
ordinary. He analyzed the testimony of the wit- 
■ nesses, and stated his conclusions with clearness and 
precision; but beyond this there was nothing specially 
to notice. When, however, his main arguments 
were completed, he began his peroration. This was 
a marvelous piece of workmanship. He pictured 
the sorrow of the poor woman he was defending. 
He portrayed in a most vivid manner the reckless 
conduct of the scoundrel who had sought her ruin. 
Gradually he began to approach a climax. This 
last feat was performed in a manner which surpassed 
even the masterly. All at once Mr. Campbell awoke 
as from a dream. He looked over the audience and 



256 Reformation of the Nineteenth Century 

found that everybody was weeping, while he himself 
felt the tears streaming down his face. 

In ascending to the climax the speaker had enum- 
erated many things that proclaimed the woman's 
innocence; and when Mr. Campbell noticed how the 
people were wrought up, he wondered how it was 
possible for Mr. Clay ever to bring them all back to 
earth again; or, in other words, how he would let 
them down from their dizzy height so as not to 
injure his cause. Just then he turned to the judge, 
who was also weeping, and capped his climax by 
saying, "And the very tears that are now stream- 
ing down your honor's face attest her inno- 
cence!" 

Immediately all eyes left Mr. Clay and were cen- 
tered on the judge. This was precisely what the 
former desired, and the moment he saw he had 
effected his purpose he took his seat, practically 
unobserved by the weeping multitude, who were now 
gazing on the deeply affected judge. 

Mr. Campbell always regarded this as the finest 
example of the orator's power he ever witnessed, 
and his own graphic description of the occasion 
was terminated by the statement that after that 
experience he was never so certain of maintaining a 
critical attitude while under the spell of some great 
orator. 

MR. CAMPBELL'S COLLOQUL-^L POWERS. 

Closely allied to Mr. Campbell's great qualities as 
a public speaker were his wonderful colloquial 
powers. I have never known a man who, without 



The Turbulent Period 257 

the slightest appearance of egotism or disposition to 
monopolize the whole time of a company, could so 
completely absorb the attention of all who met him 
in the social circle. He was a humorist, but never 
trivial. He was sometimes witty, though he rarely 
indulged in the making of puns. When I first vis- 
ited him with a mutual friend he was in his study, 
but there was no chair for his two visitors. He 
arose and offered one of us his own seat, and then 
pointing to a pile of large volumes close by suggested 
that the other might occupy a literary seat. Of 
course his own chair was declined and we both 
shared the books together. 

His conversations were often inimitable. He 
talked upon the most recondite subjects with a 
fluency and ease which were really marvelous. He 
could also use the most trivial things to the very 
best advantage in illustrating and enforcing truth, 
for he never seemed to speak at all without attempt- 
ing to teach some great lesson. His wife, in her 
' 'Reminiscences of Home lyife," thus refers to his 
conversational powers: 

*'Mr. Campbell's table talk was always edifying 
and engaging. It was natural and always timely. 
He would descant upon the eye, the eyelash, the 
value of the eye, how to protect the eye; 
the human hand, its form and value; the pro- 
portion of the fingers, their shape to enable the 
clasping with ease, the bones of the hand — and all 
attentive listeners could not fail to be interested in 
his remarks; and if in the days of tallow candles the 
light would accidentally be snuffed out, no com- 
plaining, but a dissertation upon the value of light 
r? 



258 Reformation of the Nineteenth Century 

and of the adaptation of the eye to the light and of 
the light to the eye. It was never wearisome or 
monotonous, all felt a kind of inspiration or fascina- 
tion indescribable. It must have exceeded Cole- 
ridge's table talk. For my own part, even with 
weighty cares pressing upon me, I never found in 
my heart a disposition to interrupt, though the dis- 
courser amidst it all did not lose his consideration, 
and would most timely observe, 'We will turn 
down the leaf and give place to the next genera- 
tion.' " 

(7) Notwithstanding all the great qualities to 
which I have referred, he never could have achieved 
the success he did if he had not possessed indomi- 
table courage and industry. He knew no such word 
as fail. Neither did he know what it was to be idle. 
If he read his Greek New Testament at the end of 
the corn rows when he was plowing, while his horse 
was resting, it was that he might meditate on what 
he read while he was plowing from one end of the 
row to the other. Throughout his life he was a hard 
and conscientious worker. He had talent of the 
very highest order, but he constantly acted upon the 
principle that this talent must be improved; if he 
had five talents given him, it was his duty to make 
five talents more. 

This was the true secret of his eminent success. 
He was not a genius in the popular understanding of 
that term. It was generally possible to trace the 
lines which led up to his success, and when we 
measure the prodigious amount of literary work he 
performed, as well as his labors in other directions, 



The Turbulent Period 259 

it is impossible not to take into consideration his in- 
comparable industry. 

HIS PLACE IN HISTORY. 

In closing this imperfect character sketch of one 
of the greatest men of modern times it may be well 
to notice briefly what is likely to be the place 
assigned to him in history. It may be too early to 
determine yet with definite certainty just what this 
place will be. Perhaps we are not yet sufficiently 
removed from the controversies involved in the 
religious movement in which he was engaged to 
enable us impartially to consider his whole influence 
upon the religious world. However, I think the fol- 
lowing points may be mentioned, even if it is not 
safe to emphasize them: 

( i) He was the apostle of true religious liberty. 
I emphasize the word which qualifies "religious 
liberty," and I do this for the reason that this 
phrase has been very much abused. lyuther struck 
for religious liberty, but he afterwards tied the 
very hands he had set free. He broke the 
power of the Pope, but in doing this, like Sam- 
son in the temple of Dagon, he himself fell while 
he destroyed his enemies. As a matter of fact, the 
Vatican was exchanged for Augsburg. While he 
proclaimed liberty of conscience to the people, he at 
the same time allowed himself to be bound hand 
and foot by the Augsburg Confession of Faith. 

Mr. Campbell's plea was for complete liberty. 
Hence he not only persistently opposed human creeds 
and confessions of faith, on the ground that they 



26o Reformation of the Nineteenth Century 

had produced divisions and disaster in the Christian 
world, but he also opposed any attempt at making a 
creed for his own people, however imperative at 
times the need may have seemed to be. Having 
become free himself, he utterly refused to again be 
bound, nor was he willing to bind any one else with 
the chain which he himself had cast off. His was a 
plea for true liberty, and we do not doubt that his- 
tory will ultimately recognize the fact. 

(2 j He was a great discoverer of truth. He was 
not a creator. He was not what most critics would 
call a philosopher. He was certainly not specially 
gifted for what is generally understood as originality 
of thought. Probably he was not original at all. 
But who is? Sometimes what is called originality 
is nothing more than obscurity of thought, or else it 
is only a new way of stating what is not true. Mr. 
Campbell had one source from which he started 
with everything. The Bible was the fountain whence 
all living streams emanated that ran through his 
mind. 

He did not try to be original. He was too humble 
for that. He did not try to create; there was too 
much already created which needed only orderly 
arrangement. He was satisfied to uncover the 
hidden treasures which he found on nearly every 
page of the book of revelation. Hence what New- 
ton, Davy, Galvani and others were to nature, 
Alexander Campbell was to the Bible. He came 
to it reverently, asking simply to know what the 
Bible taught. He did not ask the Bible to say 
what he said, but to tell its own story in its own 



The Turbulent Period 261 

words, and he was perfectly willing to listen and 
follow its teaching without any questioning what- 
ever. In short, Mr. Campbell was a man of faith, 
and in everything he sought to be governed simply 
by a "thus saith the lyord." This disposition 
made it impossible for him to deal in philosophical 
speculations, and confined his sphere of activity 
chiefly to the domain of discovery rather than to any 
attempt to originate and found either a philosophy 
or a religion. 

(3) In my judgment history will finally affirm 
that Mr. Campbell anticipated the present-day cry 
of "Back to Christ." However, this phrase must be 
understood in the sense in which he contended for 
what is in it. Perhaps he did not use the phrase 
exactly in the words that have become so popular, 
but he evidently made the real truth in this phrase 
the rallying cry of his great religious movement. 
His whole contention involved: 

(a) Back to the personal Christ, not the theologi- 
cal Christ. This would give us the true faith. 

(b) Back to the inspired apostles, not to unin- 
spired men. This would give us the true gospel in 
its facts, commands and promises. 

(c) Back to the New Testament church, not the 
church of ecclesiastical history. This would give 
us the true society in which to prepare for the heav- 
enly mansions. 

Such in brief is an outline of Mr. Campbell's 
character and work. The former was incomparable 
in almost every respect, the latter is still on trial, 
but so far it has stood some of the severest tests, and 



262 Reforinatioit of the Nineteenth Century 

at present it is believed to contain little that may be 
regarded as wood, hay and stubble, and much that is 
gold, silver and precious stones. In the fiery trials 
to which every man's work must be subjected, that 
which is true will endure, while that which is false 
will perish. In m}^ judgment the future record of 
the historian will emphasize the fact that Alexander 
Campbell did a work which will endure for all genera- 
tions. 



VII. 
RECAPITUI.ATORY SURVEY. 

LAW OF DEVELOPMENT. 

All normal development is marked by certain 
well-defined successive steps. There is "first the 
blade, then the ear; after that the full corn in the 
ear." This is the course of all nature, whether in 
matter or mind, in politics or religion. 

The Disciple movement has already passed at least 
two of these periods. The "blade" period em- 
braced the whole time from the beginning of the 
movement, in 1809, to the breaking out of the Civil 
War in 1861. As has already been stated, the 
war changed nearly everything. It was a great 
iconoclastic invasion for the American people. It 
was especially so for the Disciples of Christ. They 
had been intensely aggressive in their evangelistic 
and proselyting efforts, though their methods had 
in them very little of regularity and their organiza- 
tion no compactness or consistency. Their move- 
ment seemed to have little or no direction for the 
first fifty years. Their success seems to have de- 
pended upon the potency of the principles they ad- 
vocated rather than upon any wisdom of management 
or co-operation. 'It was a huge locomotive, under 
full steam, let loose upon the track, without engi- 
neer or conductor. It was a great power, but it was 

largely a power without direction, or any competent 

(263) 



264 Reformatio7i of the Nineteenth Century 

generalship to guide it to definite and permanent re- 
sults. 

The first year of the sixth decade of the present 
century was the beginning of the new era for the 
Disciples of Christ. Extraordinary ends require ex- 
traordinary means. The change for which their 
movement was ready, and which was absolutely es- 
sential in order to its full development, required a 
great social, political and religious upheaval, like 
that which was produced by the Civil War. The 
war was, therefore, a sort of forerunner, proclaiming 
the new and better days for the movement. 

These new days were not fully inaugurated until 
after the death of Mr. Campbell, but the first half of 
the decade under consideration was full of the seeds 
of things for later growth. These were the days of 
sowing for the missionary and literary harvest of the 
present time. Or, to keep up the figure with which 
we began this chapter, these were the days of corn 
formation, while now we have the full corn in the 
ear. 

In looking back over these prolific five years, it is 
impossible to measure their influence upon subse- 
quent events. It is safe, however, to say that they 
distinctly mark a turning-point in the history of the 
Disciples. When the war spirit had somewhat died 
away, the Disciples were no longer belligerent as in 
ante-bellum times. They had ceased to be insular 
in their conception of duty, while they immediately 
began to have cosmopolitan ideas. Out of this 
broader and more comprehensive spirit the Foreign 
Missionary Society was born, ten years later. 



The Turbulent Period 265 

THE EFFECT OF MR. CAMPBELL'S DEATH. 

It is worthy of remark that the death of Mr. 
Campbell had exactly the opposite effect of what 
had been predicted by the enemies of the movement. 
These were constantly saying that the movement 
was held together mainly by Mr. Campbell's strong 
personality and that when he was gone, rival leaders 
would arise and the churches would rapidly degener- 
ate into contending factions, and thus the whole 
movement would soon fall to pieces. 

i^ut these critics all proved to be false prophets. 
Nothing that they predicted has happened. Much 
of a very different kind began to be manifested 
almost immediately after the Sage of Bethany went 
to his rest. Indeed, the preparation for this change 
had been going on through the five years prior to 
his death. As soon as Mr. Campbell's health gave 
way, it was recognized everywhere that the move- 
ment had no earthly leader. It was impossible for 
any one to take Mr. Campbell's place. Indeed, 
there was none able to do it; but even if there had 
been, no one would have followed the new leader. 
As a matter of fact the movement never had a leader 
after 1866. Some have supposed that Isaac Errett 
did, in a certain sense, become the leader of the 
movement, under the new conditions. But this is 
not true. The new conditions made a leader unnec- 
essary. It was precisely this fact that wrought dis- 
appointment to the false prophets who had predicted 
so much evil for the movement when Mr. Campbell 
was to be no longer a part of it. 



266 Reformation of the Nineteenth Century 

It is interesting to notice what this state of things 
was and how it was brought about. There has been 
perhaps nothing more important in the history of 
the Disciples than the conjunction of forces which 
operated at this particular point. A brief statement 
will be sufficient to explain everything. 

It must not be forgotten that the eyes of the Dis- 
ciples v/ere already turned toward a more compact 
organization and a wider field of operations. This 
all came with the close of the war. Up to the be- 
ginning of the war, they had looked mainly to Mr. 
Campbell for all the leadership which they desired. 
But their experience demonstrated that even under 
his leadership they were not as strong as they 
ought to be for the great work of saving the world. 

But when at last they lost their leader, they began 
at once to realize that what they needed was not a 
new leadership, but a more definite co-operation and 
a more consecrated life. Hence, instead of dividing, 
as the false prophets had predicted, they were prac- 
tically driven closer together by the death of Mr. 
Campbell. They sought in organization and com- 
prehensive work to find compensation for the loss of 
the great man upon whom they had so long relied 
for direction. 

However, it ought to be stated with considerable 
emphasis that Mr. Campbell himself had always re- 
pudiated any distinct leadership for himself of the 
movement; and this view, in theory at least, was 
strongly held by most of the Disciples. Conse- 
quently, on this account, if for no other reason, it 
was easy for them generally to accept the new situ- 



The Turbulent Period 267 

ation, especially in view of the fact that organiza- 
tion and more comprehensive educational, literary 
and missionary enterprises were what was needed 
rather than the leadership of men. 

It is perfectly true that a number of men contrib- 
uted to the new order of things, and did much to 
emphasize its importance ; and it would perhaps be 
difficult to determine exactly which one of these men 
did most to help on the new movement. Isaac 
Krrett, as editor of the Christian Standard, had a 
distinct advantage over others, and no one admires 
the work he did more than myself; and yet it would 
be difficult to trace any of the new enterprises 
which followed the year 1861 back to Isaac Errett's 
initiative. lyike as when a planet has been discov- 
ered, or some great scientific problem has been 
solved, the candid historian will find that a number 
of men were almost equally responsible for the new 
order of things among the Disciples of Christ; at 
least they all had their telescopes pointed in the 
same direction, or were all working at the same 
problem; nevertheless these men were themselves, 
in their thought of progress, largely the creation of 
the war period. So that, after all, the final result 
came from a conjunction of planets rather than from 
any single cause or single man. This, I am per- 
suaded, will be the verdict of history, when the facts 
are impartially examined. 



The Transition Period 



T. W. GRAFTON 



THE TRANSITION PERIOD 



I. 

A GENERAL VIEW OF THE SITUATION. 

The year 1866 was a crucial year in the history of 
the Disciples. The death of Alexander Campbell 
in the early spring of that year removed a figure 
the charm and magnetism of whose personality had 
given strength and unity to the cause of restored 
primitive Christianity. As the unconsecrated bishop 
of the church all his brethren looked to him with an 
admiration akin to reverence; and if his views on 
questions of doctrine and administration were not 
accepted as final, they at least had great weight, 
and while he lived no serious disagreements disturbed 
the counsels of the brotherhood. 

With the passing of the great leader a situation 
threatening the gravest consequences confronted 
those upon whom his mantle fell. It had been con- 
fidently predicted by the enemies of the movement 
that the religious institution built up under the 
leadership of Mr. Campbell was only held together 
by the "force of his great name and his powerful 
personality; so with his death it would speedily dis- 
integrate and come to naught." The fierce con- 
troversy inaugurated by ultra-conservative leaders, 

about this time, did what it could to make such a 

(271) 



272 Reforniatioii of the Nhieteeiith Centui^y 

fate possible; and without doubt the strife and bit- 
terness, which continued through the next decade, 
greatly hindered the progress of truth, and checked 
the advancement of the Disciples toward their true 
place among the forces which are to evangelize the 
world. 

In the early sixties, partly as the legitimate off- 
spring of our early failures at religious co-operation 
and partly as our heritage from the civil war, two 
questions were beginning to vex the churches. 
These were regarding plans of missionary co-opera- 
tion and the use of instrumental music in the 
churches. In 1866 the discussion of these questions 
took precedence over everything else, filling the 
columns of our journals, and in many cases engen- 
dering such bitterness that had there been any eccle- 
siastical machinery the church would have been dis- 
rupted. As it was the forces of the Disciples were, 
in reality, two camps — the progressives and the con- 
servatives — the one urging that we go on to perfec- 
tion, the other that we hold unswervingly to the 
traditions of the fathers. 

The opposition to church co-operation for mission- 
ary purposes and to the use of modern expedients in 
religious worship, had its origin much further back 
than the date with which we begin. To appreciate 
the situation that confronted those upon whom the 
mantle of Alexander Campbell had fallen, we need 
to keep in mind the intense hostility to everything 
pertaining to the popular religious systems which 
had characterized the early stages of the move- 
ment. 



The Transition Period 273 

In 1830, when Walter Scott and his co-laborers 
dissolved the Mahoning Association, in opposition to 
the more practical judgment of Alexander Campbell 
and men like William Hayden, they gave a blow to 
organized religious co-operation from which we have 
been slow to rally. 

"It was at a juncture," wrote Isaac Errett almost 
fifty years later, "when the condition of numerous 
infant churches and the widening fields for mission- 
ary work required more than ever the combined wis- 
dom and resources of the churches. But in a 
moment of rashness this system of co-operation was 
dissolved. The infant churches were left to struggle 
through the perils of infancy or to die. The invit- 
ing fields of labor that opened on every hand were 
neglected, or irregularly occupied by any preacher 
that could spare the time and labor, and the work 
that had gone so gloriously forward under the asso- 
ciation suffered seriously. We have been trying now 
for over thirty years to recover lost ground; and to 
this day we reap the unhappy consequences of 
what I cannot help regarding as the folly of that 
hour." 

The organization of the American Christian Alis- 
sionary Society in 1849 was ^^ ^^^^ tardy attempt 
to undo the mistakes of these early disorganizers, 
and to put the churches once more into touch with 
each other in their missionary efforts. While its 
work was carried on under the leadership of Air. 
Campbell there had been but little outspoken opposi- 
tion. The watch-cry against "man-made plans" 

had not yet been taken up; but the latent hostility 
18 



274 Reformation of the Nineteenth Century 

was apparent in the widespread indifference which 
interfered very much from the beginning of our mis- 
sionary history with all co-operative effort. In 1851, 
with Isaac Krrett as corresponding secretary, Benj. 
Franklin, the later champion of anti-missionary 
forces, urged the claims of the society in the columns 
of the American Christian Reviezv against the 
opposers of missionary effort, in his characteristic 
appeal: 

"Cannot any man, with the least discrimination, 
see as clear as sunbeams that on the part of all that 
class of men who build up nothing, do nothing in 
any way, have no success in anything, but are sim- 
ply, as far as they think prudent to risk it, eking 
out their inharmonious feelings, it is mere cant? 
Who are the m^en that encourage the people of God? 
Who are they that strengthen and inspire the 
churches with love, zeal and harmony? Who are 
they that restore peace, order and good will among 
the saved and increase their numbers? Who are 
they now that are gathering men into the fold of 
Christ? Look over the land, brethren, and you can 
see who they are. They are the men who are doing 
the work in the churches at home and all around on 
every side. They are the men who are pushing our 
state missions, the foreign missions, Bible revis- 
ions and every other good work. These are the 
men to whom we must look for the promotion of the 
cause." 

Such was the attitude of most of the men whose 
views were worth considering prior to the outbreak 
of the Rebellion. But a series of circumstances now 
gave strength to the opposition and led to its open 
and unrelenting warfare against all forms of religious 



The Trajisition Pei^iod 275 

co-operation. These were the final abandonment of 
the mission in Jerusalem, after an expenditure of 
thousands of dollars, the passage of resolutions of 
loyalty by members of the convention during the 
Civil War, and lastly, as we have observed, the 
removal of its venerable president by the hand of 
death. 

Parallel with the controversy about plans which 
now centered in an attack upon all forms of mission- 
ary co-operation, though not always dividing on the 
same lines, was the discussion over the use of expe- 
dients in worship, which was ultimately narrowed 
down to opposition to instrumental music in the 
churches. 

With many, whatever had prevailed among the 
practices of the fathers during the fifty years prev- 
ious, had all the weight of divine authority. Every 
change in method or expediency was denounced as 
apostasy. Instead of going back to Jerusalem men 
stopped at Bethany, and that which Mr. Campbell 
had taught in bringing order out of the chaos of 1830, 
was regarded as equally essential in adjusting 
the church to its environment at the close of the 
war. 

The question of the use of expedients in worship 
had occupied no place in the plans of the Disciples 
during their earlier history. They had learned to 
be content with the barest necessities, both in their 
homes and in their churches. lyife had been too hard 
a struggle with most people to allow them to give 
attention to the cultivation and gratification of re- 
fined tastes. Having never enjoyed in their homes. 



276 Reformation of the Nineteenth Century 

they did not miss in the house of worship, that 
which contributed to their comfort and pleasure. 
But a new spirit of progress and new conditions had 
fallowed the war. The old, cheerless cabin gave 
place to the home of comfort. The bare floors were 
hidden by cheerful carpets. The hard-bottom chair 
was cast aside and rich upholstery installed in its 
place. The children were sent to the seminary and 
college, and came back with awakened minds and 
cultivated tastes. Instruments of music added to the 
cheer of the home. Everything had suddenly 
changed — everything but the old, square, unpainted 
meeting house, with its cheerless walls, uncomforta- 
ble seats and uninviting service. An unprogressive, 
unobserving leadership had accepted these as essen- 
tial and regarded them as almost as indispensable to 
soundness of faith as belief in the Son of God, or 
obedience to his expressed commands. In 1864 we 
find the first serious note of alarm over threatened 
innovation along this line, though the organ had 
made its appearance in a few wealthy churches at an 
earlier date. 

"In the early years of the present reformation," 
writes a contributor to the Harbinger of that year, 
"there was entire unanimity in the rejection of in- 
strumental music from our public worship. It was 
declared unscriptural, inharmonious with Christian 
institutions and a source of corruption. 
More recently congregations have been found who 
are almost, if not altogether, in favor of instruments, 
and upon the principle of church independence they 



The Transition Period 277 

have assumed tlie right to make use of them without 
regard to the wishes of others." 

It thus happened that the beginning of the period 
with which we are dealing witnessed an outburst of 
the pent-up spirit of opposition, both as regards our 
missionary movements and the progressive spirit 
which characterized many of our growing churches. 

There is no better index of the restive spirit of the 
times than the number of periodicals which sudden- 
ly sprang into existence, each to supply a long-felt 
need and to unerringly solve the problems which 
were perplexing the churches. During the year 
1866 we have at least nine new journals, monthly, 
semi-monthly and weekly, stepping into existence 
and asking the support of the brotherhood. As 
given in the Millennial Harbinger^ there were the 
Messianic Bamier^ published in Baltimore; the 
Northwestern Christian Proclamation^ from Waupun, 
Wis.; the Bible Class Visitor^ from Wabash, Ind.; 
the Young Ladies'^ Friend^ from Buffalo, N. Y. ; the 
Evangelist^ from Oskaloosa, la.; the Christian 
Standard^ from Cleveland, O. ; the Herald of Truth ^ 
from De Soto, 111., and the Little Sower ^ from In- 
dianapolis, Ind. To adequately appreciate the 
volume of our periodical literature there must be 
added the titles of those already established: The 
Millejtnial Harbinger^ of Bethany; the Christian 
Herald^ of Eureka, 111. ; the American Christian 
Review^ of Cincinnati, and the Gospel Advocate^ of 
Nashville, Tenn. 

Above the smoke of the conflict in which they 
were then engaged rise the colossal figures of Isaac 



278 Reformation of the Nineteenth Centiijy 

Errett and Benj. Franklin; the champions respect- 
ively of the progressive and the conservative senti- 
ments in the church; the one, through the Christian 
Standard^ seeking to rescue the church from the 
bondage to the unwritten traditions of the elders, 
the other, through the American Christian Review^ 
seeking to restrain the churches from what he 
regarded as ruinous innovations. 



II. 

THE MUSIC CONTROVERSY. 

There are some chapters in our history that 
might well be forgotten, were it not for their whole- 
some, constraining influence upon our growing self- 
esteem, and their timely warning against being 
wise above that which is written. Among these is 
the chapter which records the controversy over the 
use of expedients in worship. The discussion of 
this issue filled the columns of our papers and dis- 
turbed the counsels of our churches for a decade or 
more, crippling the progress of a great cause at a 
critical period, when its strength should have been 
centered upon our rapidly growing cities and the 
newly settled territory of the West, and in heeding 
the Master's command to "go into all the world." 

Thomas Campbell had unwittingly planted the 

seeds of this controversy in giving utterance to the 

now famous declaration: "Where the Scriptures 

speak, we speak; where the Scriptures are silent, 

we are silent." When applied to the essentials of 

revealed religion it was a splendid maxim. As a 

confession of the authority of the Word of God it 

has never been surpassed. As a guide in the search 

for the old paths, it was indispensable. But it was 

capable of being wrested from its intended meaning 

in such a way as to stifle all growth and progress. 

In the organization and development of a religious 

society after the New Testament model the question 

(279) 



28o Reformation of tJie Nineteenth Century 

was asked, What shall be our attitude toward mod- 
ern expedients about which the Scriptures are silent? 
Shall the past customs of the church govern us in 
these untaught questions, or shall we make wise use 
of means which, in the very nature of the case, 
were unknown and unused by former generations? 

This was not a new situation. The old Puritans, 
a generation before, had argued against the intro- 
duction of the newly invented stove into meeting- 
houses as an unscriptural and unrighteous innova- 
tion. In some quarters the early followers of Mr. 
Campbell had objected to the building of houses for 
worship as without apostolic example, and hence 
unscriptural, since the early disciples met from 
house to house. The singing of more than one 
part to a hymn was declared by others contrary to 
apostolic practice, since "the Scriptures expressly 
state that the house of God is a house of order; con- 
fusion must not reign there; two parts are two tunes 
— you must sing the same tune the rest are sing-- 
ing.'' On the same ground, good brethren now 
wrote volumes to prove the use of instruments of 
music in churches to be a violation of the gospel, or 
at least of the respect we should have for the silence 
of the gospel. 

We must not conclude that the question was con- 
fined to the followers of Alexander Campbell in the 
Current Reformation. The whole Puritan senti- 
ment of Christendom had at one time or another 
opposed the use of the organ, regarding it as an 
adjunct of popery, to be classed along with images 
and crucifixes and relics and other inventions of the 



The Transition Period 281 

Mother of Harlots. But the older denominations 
had, for the most part, adjusted themselves to the 
new conditions before the question of instrumental 
music entered as a disturbing element among the 
churches of the Disciples. A contributor to the 
New York Herald of 1868, in summing up the 
situation from a Baptist point of view, writes: 

"It will be impossible to expunge the excess of 
music from religious worship at present. Presby- 
terians, doctrinally orthodox, have fallen into it; 
Methodists exhort in musical notes and semibreves; 
Episcopalians cantillate everything, even prayers 
and responses, and Catholics, always grand and 
copious in this respect, are becoming more and more 
so, in consonance with the general spirit of religious 
worship in the metropolis. The Baptists only, as a 
great body, have held aloof and kept to the letter of 
their orginal simplicity, and these will no doubt 
gradually soften and mingle with the general pulp." 

The question became a real issue among the Dis- 
ciples with the introduction of a melodeon at Mid- 
way, Kentucky, in i860. In reply to strictures in 
the American Christiaii Review in the spring of 
that year. Dr. ly. ly. Pinkerton, the pastor, wrote: 
"So far as known to me I am the only preacher in 
Kentucky, of our brotherhood, who has publicly 
advocated the propriety of employing instrumental 
music in some churches, and the Church of God in 
Midway is the only church that has yet made a 
decided effort to introduce it." If we may judge 
from the result, the experiment was entirely satis- 
factory. For other churches of progressive spirit 



282 Reformation of the Nineteenth Century 

soon followed the example. The new era of pros- 
perity and progress that followed the war contrib- 
uted to the rapid spread of this spirit. Our editors 
and leaders took alarm. Such innovations were, 
they urged, opposed to the genius of our move- 
ment. We were in danger of surrendering our plea 
for the restoration of primitive Christianity. 

It is in no spirit of criticism that we here record 
the protest of leading brethren. Strong, able, fair- 
minded men became fearful of the effect of departure 
from early simplicity and counseled the churches 
against being carried away by the spirit of the times. 
^'We cannot by any possibility," wrote one of our 
leading brethren in the //Jair^/z^^^r of 1865, "know 
that a certain element of worship is acceptable to 
God in the Christian dispensation, when the Scrip- 
tures are silent in reference to it. To introduce any 
such element is unscriptural and presumptuous. It 
is will-worship, if any such thing as will-worship 
can exist." 

To this, in the columns of the same journal, the 
sweet singer, A. S. Hayden, replied, "Whether it 
would be wise to use the instrument in any case 
may be safely left to the brethren locally interested 
in the question. The assumption of the right to 
decide for them, to dictate to them, in questions 
clearly relating to their own peace, harmony and 
edification, and to visit upon them the penalty of 
the greater or lesser excommunication, is to re-enact 
the persecutions of the Star Chamber of the reign of 
Charles the First, or to employ the ex cathedra 
tyranny of the papacy." 



The Transition Period 283 

In the next few years the question had taken a 
broad range, and the conflict between the progressive 
and the conservative elements of the church, in many 
places, became bitter and unchristian. The great 
truths of the gospel, which it had been the mission 
of the Disciples to proclaim, were consigned to the 
rear, while brethren quarreled and sometimes divided 
over the means to be employed as aids to the worship 
of God. 

It was urged by the enemies of the organ that it 
was "neutralizing," "formalizing," "secularizing" 
and "carnalizing" our worship; that those who 
countenanced its introduction had become the cham- 
pions of that which actually "superseded an ordin- 
ance of God;" that its use was as bad as the Romish 
invention of affusion. It was insisted that God 
would not accept it as worship at all, because he 
had not commanded it to be done. It was held that 
as a matter of conscience God's elect must refuse to 
worship where a musical instrument was- used. 
Scripture or the silence of Scripture was used in 
defense of the methods of obstruction employed. 
Logic, or what passed for logic, was brought into 
play in defense of their position by these champions 
of "soundness." The following is an example of 
the reasoning of the times: 

"Whatever destroys the ordinance of God is sin- 
ful and belongs consequently to the catagory of prin- 
ciple and not of expediency. 

"Instrumental music destroys' congregational sing- 
ing; which is an ordinance of God. 

"Therefore, instrumental music is sinful and 



284 Reformation of the Nineteenth Century 

belongs to the category of principle and not of 
expediency." 

From its first appearance, in 1866, the Christian 
Standard hecsLmQ the champion of a broad and liberal 
policy, and gathered around it a group of men who 
shared, with its editor, the conviction that the new 
era upon which we had entered demanded the em- 
ployment of new methods, if the churches were to 
keep pace with the progress of the times. Mr. 
Brrett urged the wisdom of using expedients which 
had already proved helpful to the work of the 
church where employed. Arrayed against all pro- 
gressive measures were the Gospel Advocate and the 
American Chris tia?t Review \ but they had now taken 
such a decided stand against all co-operative mis- 
sionary effort as to alienate many who shared their 
opposition to innovations in worship. The tide was 
certainly setting toward a more liberal policy. 
Something must be done. The Apostolic Times 
was consequently founded in 1869. It was issued 
under the joint editorship of five of our strongest 
men: Moses E. Lard, Robert Graham, Winthrop 
H. Hopson, Lanceford B. Wilkes and John W. 
McGarvey. "To the primitive faith and the primi- 
tive practice," the prospectus states, "without en- 
largement or diminution, without innovation or mod- 
ification, the editors here and now commit their 
paper and themselves with a will and purpose 
inflexible as the cause in whose interest they pro- 
pose to write." It at once opened a broadside upon 
the growing sentiment favorable to the organ. In 



The Transition Period 285 

reply to its attack upon the use of modern expedients, 
as innovations, Mr. Errett wrote: 

"Our editorial brethren of the Times ^ are, with us, 
guilty of a great innovation in publishing a weekly 
religious newspaper; and if they do this as children 
of God, and it would be great injustice to indulge a 
contrary supposition, they are doing what they well 
know has neither a 'divine command' nor an 'ap- 
proved precedent' to support it. When they preach 
they go into a meeting house, which is an innova- 
tion, and take up a hymn book, which is an innova- 
tion, and give out a h3aiin, which is an innovation, 
and this hymn is sung to a tune, which is an inno- 
vation, by a choir, which is an innovation, by the 
aid of a tune-book and tuning-fork, which are inno- 
vations. They also read from a printed Bible, which 
is an innovation. Yet who dreams, in all this, of 
any innovation on the law of God or the authority of 
the lyord Jesus Christ?" 

Where the sentiment was unanimous, either in 
favor of, or in opposition to, the organ, peace and 
harmony, of course, prevailed in the local congrega- 
tions. But where sentiment was divided, the influ- 
ence of the church was often neutralized and its life 
even imperiled. In many places the public wit- 
nessed the spectacle of a church, whose leading tenet 
was the union of all Christians, going to pieces over 
the use of a mere expedient. 

The situation was critical. The anti-organ ele- 
ment, though usually in the minority, were for 
refusing all fellowship with their more progressive 
brethren. Mr. Franklin's advice, while leading to 
mutual division in many places, was somewhat tem- 



286 Reformation of the Ni?zeteenth Century 

perate. "Declare non-fellowship with no one," he 
wrote; "say nothing about refusing fellowship, or 
leaving the church, or withdrawing from it. But 
deliberately and quietly meet in another place of 
worship regularly according to the Scriptures. At- 
tend to the breaking of the loaf, the apostles' teach- 
ing, prayers, praise and contribution. Worship in 
spirit and in truth. Talk of no new church, second 
church, nor anything of the kind." 

Mr. Errett, while claiming for himself and those 
who saw with him the broadest liberty, now coun- 
seled the use of charity. "Our own course," he 
wrote in the Standard oi 1870, "is clear. We shall 
advise our brethren everywhere, for the sake of 
peace and from a reverential regard to one of the 
noblest lessons of Christian brotherhood, to discard 
the use of instruments in the churches. At the 
same time we set ourselves most decidedly against 
all attempts to create divisions in churches on the 
ground of differences in regard to an expedient. 
The law which binds it on us to please our neighbor 
for his good is not more imperative than that which 
forbids us to judge our brother in regard to such 
matters. Let a sacred regard to the rights of others, 
and an equally sacred regard to the conscience of 
others, possess us, and we shall master the difficul- 
ties of this question." 

The controversy was never settled by the scribes. 
A long-suffering public at last grew weary of a dis- 
cussion that was fruitless of spiritual results and it 
was dropped. But by the exercise of charity and 
wisdom the problem has solved itself, and with few 



The Transition Period 287 

exceptions the churches have become progressive 
and aggressive, ready to employ any expedient that 
will contribute to one sublime purpose — the conquest 
of the world to the cross of Christ, holding that the 
silence of the Scriptures gives us liberty in the use 
of means that are not out of harmony with its 
spirit. 



III. 

THE SOCIETY CONTROVERSY. 

For seventeen years Alexander Campbell stood at 
the head of the marching column of our missionary 
host. He had helped by voice and pen to foster a 
missionary spirit among the churches as indispensa- 
ble to the ultimate triumph of New Testament Chris- 
tianity. During all these years he had served as 
president of the Missionary Society and contributed 
of his means to its support. But his voice was 
scarcely hushed in death before the enemies of mis- 
sionary co-operation in general, and of the American 
Christian Missionary Society in particular, made use 
of his great name in defense of their methods of 
obstruction. They quoted the early numbers of the 
Christian Baptist 'wl justification of their claim, and, 
as the true followers of Mr. Campbell in the restora- 
tion of primitive ideals, raised their cry against 
"man-made plans." 

It has already been shown by the writers who 
have preceded me that "the great Christian life of 
Alexander Campbell presents no such monstrous con- 
tradiction as a lifelong consecration of his own 
powers and labors to the proclamation of the gospel 
on the one hand, and opposition to a similar work 
through the co-operation and means of brethren at 
large on the other." But I venture to add the testi- 
mony of W. K. Pendleton on the true position of 

Mr. Campbell, given in an address at the eighteenth 

(288) 



TJie Transition Period 289 

anniversary of the American Christian ]\Iissionary 
Society in the autumn of 1866: 

"We feel that it is due to the great name of Alex- 
ander Campbell to vindicate his memory from the 
charge that he was ever opposed to true missionary 
work, or true and scripturally conducted missions. 
It must be remembered that in his early writings he 
was engaged almost incessantly in the fiercest and 
closest conflicts with the various forms of sectarian- 
ism which surrounded him, and which, as organiza- 
tions, both in their theory and their practice, he was 
deeply convinced were injurious to the highest inter- 
ests of the church, and incumbrances upon the 
primitive power of the gospel. As such he attacked 
them. Their missionary plan was but one feature 
of many, and this as d. plan^ not as a legitimate /'//r- 
pose^ he criticised, with a moderation and caution 
however, which showed that he desired to touch it 
but gently. His arrows were directed against the 
'scheme.' 'Our objections to the missionary plan,' 
says he, 'originated from the conviction that it is 
unauthorized in the New Testament; and that in 
many instances it is a system of iniquitous peculation 
and speculation, I feel perfectly able to maintain. 
There is another difficulty of which we are 
aware, that, as some objects are manifestly good, 
and the means adopted for their accomplishment 
manifestly evil, speaking against the means em- 
ployed, we may be sometimes understood as oppos- 
ing the objects abstractly, especially by those who 
do not wish to understand, but rather to misrepre- 
sent. For instance, that the conversion of the 
heathen to the Christian religion is an object mani- 
festly good, all Christians will acknowledge; yet 
every one acquainted with the means employed, and 

with the success attendant on the means, must know 
19 



290 Reformation of the Nineteenth Centnry 

that the means have not been blessed; and every 
intelligent Christian must know that many of the 
means employed have been manifestly evil. Be- 
sides,' he says, and this I take to be the key of all 
his opposition to these sectarian missions, 'to con- 
vert the heathen to the popular Christianity of these 
times would be an object of no great consequence, 
as the popular Christians themselves, for the most 
part, require to be converted to the Christianity of 
the New Testament.' 

"This is the author's own explanation of the 
motives of his opposition as expressed on the earliest 
pages of the Christian Baptist itself, and I need not 
pause to show how utterly irrelevant it is to the 
uses for which it is now sought to be employed. 
The fact is, his heart was too full of the benevolent 
and saving power of the gospel to allow him to im- 
pose any trammels upon any legitimate means which 
the liberality and the wisdom of the church might 
devise for its universal proclamation. When this 
society was first formed he was made its president, 
and in this relation he continued, by the partiality of 
its members and with his own consent, till he was 
called to join the congregation of the first born in 
heaven. From the first he threw his mighty influ- 
ence in its favor." — Millennial Harbinger^ 1866^ 
page ^97. 

Notwithstanding this able defense of the mission- 
ary spirit of the Sage of Bethany by one who had 
stood nearest to him, the closing months of the year 
1866 witnessed widespread disaffection. Men who 
during Mr. Campbell's lif^ had manifested their dis- 
approval in quietly holding aloof, now became out- 
spoken in their denunciation of the methods of co- 
operation employed. The missionary societies were 



The Tj-ansition Period 291 

branded as disguised ecclesiastical machines. "If 
these societies are right, then," they urged, *'so are 
the papacy- and sects." They were to be classed 
with "dancing," "gaming," "horse racing" and 
other similar works of the flesh. 

It was, indeed, a critical point in our missionary 
history. In September the California Missionary 
Society adjourned sine die because of the conviction 
of many members that there was a "want of- Script- 
ure precedent for holding delegate conventions." 
This step was hailed with joy by anti-society men 
and claimed as an indication of the "decided ten- 
dency of things," and the early death of all such 
"unauthorized efforts" among us was confidently 
predicted. 

At about this time occurred the defection of Ben- 
jamin Franklin from the missionary ranks, which 
gave further comfort to the opposition. He had 
been reckoned one of the supporters of missionary 
effort from the beginning. He had at one time 
served as corresponding secretary, and was then one 
of the vice-presidents of the organization. But, 
near the close of 1866, he changed front and from 
that time on the weight of his influence was against 
it, and no reasonable compromises were able to win 
him back from his new position. 

The conversion of Benjamin Franklin was the oc- 
casion of great rejoicing among those bent on the 
destruction of our struggling missionary society. 
Talbot Fanning, in the Gospel Advocate^ hastened 
to extend the hand of fellowship to this new acces- 
sion to the anti-mission ranks: 



292 Refonnation of the yineteoith Ccntin^y 

"While we are rejoiced to know that Bro. B. 
Franklin is now, for the first time since the year of 
grace 1853, making war upon all human organiza- 
tions as substitutes for the Church of Christ, it 
strikes us that he has made so many side cuts at 
good brethren who have stood the heat of battle, 
which is now almost over, that he might afford to 
confess before God and his brethren that in his bush- 
whacking experiment he has neither done justice to 
himself or the cause of his Master. We thank God, 
however, that our brother is now ably, and no doubt 
successfully, defending the Church of Christ against 
missionary organizations and all other human in- 
ventions for the service of the church." 

While the cause of world-wide missions had suf- 
fered loss through the sudden crystallization of a 
distinctly anti-missionary party, the battle was not 
so nearly over as the enemies of co-operation imag- 
ined. The loss of Bro. Franklin was deeply felt, 
and the transfer of the American Christian Review 
to the side of the opposition added, at the time, to 
its strength, and increased the difficulties in the way 
of missionary success. But the friends of missions 
were by no means disheartened. The growth of the 
cause, its very life, they felt depended upon their 
hearty co-operation, and obedience to the letter and 
spirit of the great commission. The Christian 
Stajidard^ with Isaac Errett at the helm, had already 
proved a valuable help to the cause of missions, and 
its editor now threw his great strength into the con- 
flict over plans and was soon to witness the turn in 
the tide which was to make us a missionary people. 



TJie Transition Period 293 

But in 1867 Mr. Errett, in a somewhat pessimistic 
spirit, was compelled to write: 

"The Standard \'$> the only weekly paper among us 
now that advocates missionary societies, and we 
want the brethren to know this fact. When there is 
a great end to be accomplished, a scriptural end, 
and the Word of God does not shut us up to any 
special routine of operations, we go for the best 
expedient that the united wisdom of the brethren in 
a given district, state or nation, may suggest. 
But we have no idolatrous attachments to the Gen- 
eral Missionary Society. If it can do the work pro- 
posed, we will encourage it. If it fails to command 
sufficient confidence and sympathy to enable it to do 
its work wisely and w^ell, we shall go in for whatever 
form of associated effort the general wisdom of the 
brotherhood ma}' approve. But we record our delib- 
erate conviction here, that if the attacks on our 
General Missionary Society prevail to its destruction 
and we are left to rely simply on what individual 
churches may see fit to do, w^e will throw back our 
cause at least half a century, and devolve on a com- 
ing generation at least tenfold labor to recover lost 
ground." 

The next three years of our missionary effort were 
spent in fruitless attempts to devise some plan that 
would harmonize all factions and secure the co-opera- 
tion of the entire brotherhood. The friends of the 
society kindly invited suggestions with a view to 
finding a true and scriptural basis for missionary 
enterprise that would be acceptable to all. To some 
of these overtures, Mr. Franklin replied in the col- 
umns of the Review^ from which we quote: 



294 Reformation of the Nineteenth Century 

"Our 'unreasonable change' is not from a mission- 
ary to an anti-missionary man, but from a society to 
an anti-society man; not from a co-operation to an 
anti-co-operation man, but from a society scheme^ 
formed after a sectarian model, which we have tiied 
twenty years and completely demonstrated to be a 
failure, having no effective co-operation in it, for 
evangelizing, to the simplest method of co-operation 
ever practiced as well as the most effective, the 
method practiced by the first Christians and prac- 
ticed again in our own time, by which we have 
pushed the gospel half round the world in fifty 
years." 

In suggesting a safe ground, he said, let it be 
"understood that all constitutions, laws, member- 
ships, life memberships, life directorships, presi- 
dents and vice-presidents will be wiped out. There 
will be no society. The reports will not show what 
the society has done, but what the chujxhes of the 
Lord and individual Christians have done in a certain 
work, or through a certain channel. When 
the meeting is convened it can select some 
one to preside for the occasion and another to serve 
as clerk. The churches then can give to their co- 
operation, the state meeting or the general meeting 
what they think proper, or as they dispose in their 
hearts. Something of this kind would harmonize 
the brethren generally and open the way for all to go 
to work." 

At the anniversary meeting of the American 
Christian Missionary Society, in 1867, a committee 
was appointed to so change the constitution of the 
society as to remove some of the most serious objec- 
tions, and if possible conciliate the brethren 
of the opposition. The following year several 
changes were made on the recommendation of the 



The Transition Period 295 

committee, the most radical of which was the aban- 
donment of life memberships, life directorships, etc. 
It was then resolved "that in view of the abandon- 
ment of life memberships and life directorships, 
from which the principal income of the society has 
been derived, the board of managers be and they 
are hereby requested to devise and carry out a plan 
of annual and life subscriptions, whereby a constant 
income may be secured and a permanent basis pro- 
vided for the operations of the society. " 

A committee, composed of W. K. Pendleton, Isaac 
Errett, W. J. Pettigrew and Geo. W. Elley, was 
appointed to advise the opposing brethren of the 
change and solicit their co-operation, which they 
did in a note declaring that "these changes had 
been made on the motion and by the advice of many 
of the oldest friends of the society, who have been 
influenced mainly by a desire to harmonize with 
others who thought them necessary, and it is hoped 
that the generous spirit of fraternity w^hich they 
have thus manifested will be met by an equally gen- 
erous advance on the part of those to whom this 
offering of Christian fellowship is extended. If we 
cannot all agree as to the details of a plan, we can 
at least consent to work together under that which 
has secured the unanimous approval of so large a 
body of our best minds, and be content to hold our 
private opinions subject to the voice of the major- 
ity." 



IV. 

''THE LOUISVILLE PLAN." 

It was earnestly hoped that the recent changes 
made in the constitution of the American Christian 
Missionary Society, by removing some objectionable 
features, would secure the hearty co-operation of 
all the friends of primitive Christianity. In this 
the promoters of our missionary cause were mis- 
taken. 

It was the Society itself, as a human institution, 
that had given offense to the brethren who would 
have the Lord's plan or none at all; and no amount 
of changing or patching, of adding to or taking 
from, its constitution would satisfy its enemies, so 
long as it was still a society. 

But aside from its failure to please the brethren 
whom it had been devised to please, a very few months 
proved the weakness of the new plan as a financial 
measure. In dispensing with life memberships and 
life directorships no adequate substitute had been 
provided for replenishing the missionary treasury, 
and it was running dry. The work of the society 
was being crippled for lack of funds, and all mis- 
sionary effort was at a standstill. To untie the 
missionary knot was now the problem that bafiied 
the wisest of our leaders. 

In 1868 Thomas Munnell was elected correspond- 
ing secretary, and at once threw his energy into the 

cause of Christian missions. As a remedy for the 

(296) 



The Transition Period 297 

-existing disorder over plans he suggested the follow- 



"i. Let every Disciple, in his own mind, pass 
an act of oblivion upon all past indiscretions as to 
missionary work. In this act, include everything 
done wrong in general or state societies, everything 
written unadvisedly, resolutions in convention, op- 
positions to societies, and such like causes of differ- 
ence, without now caring to decide who was right or 
who wrong. Let none but the small folks 'think 
on these things.' 

"2. These old roots being taken out, let every 
state be districted into large divisions, so that, it 
would require all the time of a district evangelist to 
keep up the missionary financial system, find out 
the weak places, urge the Sunday-school cause and 
stir everything into activity within those limits, a 
dozen ways that cannot here be described. Five or 
ten of these secretaries could keep all the active 
parts alive and at work. 

"3. Each of these districts regularly pouring 
their contributions into the state treasury, the state 
would always have something to give to missions 
abroad — to the territories, to the South or East. 
Each state would then send through her own treas- 
ury all the funds she designs for missions outside 
her own boundaries, to the Board of Missions at 
Cincinnati. This board, having had years of ex- 
perience in the foreign field, can manage all the 
funds of the brotherhood intended for that use in the 
most satisfactory manner possible." 

It is not difficult to discover in these suggestions 
the germ of what afterward came to be known as 
the "Louisville Plan," a plan which for a decade 
harassed our missionary movements and crippled 



298 Reformation of the Nineteenth Century 

our missionary progress, without securing to any 
extent the co-operation of the anti-society men, 
which it was devised to effect. 

A resolution had been passed at the annual con- 
vention of 1868, calling for a semi-annual meeting 
of the society in the following May, at St. I^ouis. 
At this meeting, which was largely attended, our 
missionary problem received serious attention. In 
spite of wasted energy and the illiberal policy of 
many churches the movement had made remarkable 
progress, and it was felt by our progressive leaders 
that the time had come for us to do something along 
missionary lines commensurate with our numerical 
strength. The failure of the plan adopted at the 
last general convention brought from the correspond- 
ing secretary an appeal for a more efficient financial 
policy. As a result of the deliberation of the con- 
vention the following resolution, offered by W. T. 
Moore, was adopted: 

'■'■Resolved^ That a committee of twenty be ap- 
pointed to take into consideration the whole ques- 
tion of evangelization and report, if possible, a 
scriptural and practical plan for raising money and 
spreading the gospel, said committee to report at 
the Louisville meeting in October next." 

The committee appointed was a strong one. It 
represented not only the staunch friends of the Mis- 
sionary Society, but also men like Benjamin Frank- 
lin, who had refused to co-operate on any plan that 
had hitherto been proposed, on the ground that the 
methods employed were unscriptural. The com- 



Tlie Transition Period 299 

mittee consisted of W. T. Moore, W. K. Pendleton, 
Alexander Procter, Enos Campbell, B. Franklin, 
Isaac Errett, M. E. Lard, Joseph King, W. A. Bald- 
ing, G. W. Longan, R. Graham, R. R. Sloan, O. A. 
Burgess, K. I. Hobbs, C. L. Loos, Jno. S. Sweeney, 
T. W. Caskey, J. S. Lamar, W. D. Carnes and J. C. 
Reynolds — men of strength and wisdom, every one 
of them. To these a representative from each co- 
operative state was afterward added. 

The convention which assembled at Louisville in 
October, 1869, has become a landmark in our mis- 
sionary history. It was looked forward to as the end 
of all our unhappy differences over plans, and the 
beg'inuino^ of a new era of world-wide evano^elization. 
More than six hundred delegates assembled with this 
prospect in view. 

The committee of twenty met in Louisville a few 
days before the time appointed for the sitting of the 
convention, that they might prepare their report 
with prayerful deliberation. They felt deeply the 
importance of the tasks in hand, and never did men 
wrestle more earnestly for wisdom and guidance 
than they. I will allow W. K. Pendleton, a mem- 
ber of the committee, to describe the struggles of 
this brave body: 

"They were a body of the ablest men among us. 
I felt strong in the struggle of our chiefs, when I 
stood among them in council. I think we realized 
the situation and felt both its responsibility and its 
difficulty. But we went at the work prayerfully, 
hopefully and courageously. The whole theory of 
the plan was clearly grasped, and every detail was 



300 Rcfonnation of tJie Xinetcenth Century 

analyzed, criticised and adjusted, till the whole 
stood before us clear, consistent, scriptural and satis- 
factory. It was an earnest and a careful work. I 
shall never forget the labors of the night which 
Bros. Errett and ]\Ioore and Munnell and myself 
spent on it. We had talked it all over and agreed 
about the substance of it in committee of the wdiole, 
when it was referred to us to put into proper shape 
and order and expression. We had only a night in 
which to do it. We met in an upper room of the 
hospitable home of Winthrop H. Hopson, and 
there wrestled all night for the inspiration and the 
wisdom and the wit which we needed. Morning 
came and with its light the end of our toil and 
counsel. We were satisfied and bore our work back 
to the committee, and so it went to that convention, 
the grandest we have ever heard."* 

The committee presented in their report a plan of 
co-operation which, from the place of meeting, has 
passed into our history as the "Ivouisville Plan.'* 
Since it marks an epoch in the cause of missions 
among the -Disciples, I will give in full that part of 
the report which related to the plan of missionary co- 
operation: 

"i. That there be one uniform financial system 
to secure the means for missions both at home and 
abroad. 

"2. That to render this efficient there be: (a) A 
General Board and corresponding secretary. (b)A 
Board and corresponding secretary for each state to 
co-operate with the General Board, (c) District 
Boards in each state and a secretary in each district, 
whose duty shall be to visit all the churches in his 

^Historical Address Tweiitv-fifth Anniversary A. C. M. S. 



- 'A 



The Transit ioii Period 301 

district and induce them to accept the missionary 
work as a part of their religious duty. 

"3. There shall be an annual convention in each 
district, the business of which shall be transacted 
by messengers appointed by the churches; an An- 
nual convention in each state, the business of 
which shall be conducted by messengers sent by the 
churches of the state, it being understood, however, 
that two or more churches, or all the churches of a 
district, may be represented by messengers mutually 
agreed upon; and an annual General Convention, the 
business of which shall be conducted by messengers 
from the state conventions. 

"4. The General Convention shall annually ap- 
point nine brethren who, together with the corre- 
sponding secretaries of the states and the presidents 
of the state boards, shall constitute a General Board, 
who shall meet annually to transact the general 
missionary business and appoint a committee of five 
to superintend the work in the intervals between 
their annual meeting. 

"5. It shall be the duty of the General Board and 
corresponding secretary to provide for and superin- 
tend missionary operations in destitute places not 
actually in state and district organizations, and to 
promote the harmonious co-operation of all the state 
and district boards and conventions. 

"6. There shall be also a State Board and cor- 
responding secretary in each of the states, elected 
annually by the messengers sent to the State Con- 
vention, and that it shall be the duty of said boards 
and secretaries to manage the missionary interests in 
their respective states in harmony with the system of 
general co-operation. 

"7. Each state shall be divided into districts of 
suitable limits by the State Board; the messengers 
from the churches of each district shall elect, at 
their annual conventions, a board and a secretary; 



302 Refoj^matiojt of the Nineteenth Century 

and the business of each secretary shall be to visit 
all the churches in his district, and in co-operation 
with their own officers induce them to contribute and 
send to the district treasury money for the support 
of missions. 

"8. As our whole financial system is based upon 
a general co-operation of the churches, we recom- 
mend that each church, over and above the sums it 
may contribute for missionary work under its imme- 
diate control, give a pledge to pay annually to its 
district treasurer a definite sum for other missionary 
work, and that one-half of such contributions may 
be under the control of the district boards for 
missionary work in the districts, the other half to 
be sent to the state boards, to be divided equally 
between it and the General Board for their respective 
works; but this recommendation is not to be con- 
sidered as precluding a different disposition of 
funds v/hen the church contributing shall so de- 
cide. 

"9. The churches shall send reports to the Dis- 
trict Boards in time for the District Conventions; the 
districts shall send reports to the State Boards in 
time for the State Conventions; and the State Boards 
shall send up reports to the General Board in time 
for the general convention, so that a report of all 
our missionary operations may appear in the Minutes 
of the General Convention. 

"10. Each State Convention shall be entitled to 
two delegates in the General Convention, and to one 
additional delegate for every five thousand Disciples 
in the state." 

This general financial scheme, since characterized 
by one of our scribes as "no stronger than a rope of 
sand," seemed to exactly meet the situation that 
confronted the Disciples at that time, and after due 



The Transition Period 303 

deliberation it was passed without a dissenting vote. 
By this act the American Christian Missionary So- 
ciety ceased to be, and, in its stead, sprang up the 
General Christian Missionary Convention, gathering 
about it the hopes of a great brotherhood. The new 
plan had some things to commend it. It was a 
heroic effort to harmonize the diverging sentiments 
of a growing people. It recognized the supremacy 
of the church and provided for church co-operation — 
a principle for which the opposition had long con- 
tended. It was so comprehensive as to exclude none 
from "participation in the divine duty of preaching 
the gospel." It was felt, upon its adoption, that we 
would witness the awakening of "new interest 
among our people in missionary work." "I trust 
that the current year," hopefully wrote the editor of 
•the Harbinger^ "may prove to be one of unparalleled 
activity in this great cause, and that this system 
which rests upon the basis of the churches, and 
makes its appeal primarily and directly to their 
free and independent co-operation, will become at 
once uniformly adopted and thoroughly carried 
out." 

The enthusiasm at first manifested gave promise 
of its triumph over the old spirit of opposition. 
Benj. Franklin, though not present at the meeting 
of the committee of twenty, gave his endorsement 
to the report and spoke his approval of the plan 
adopted in the columns of the American Christian 
Review. He said: 

"In our estimation it is the most simple, natural 
and wise arrangement ever made, and that it will 



304 Reformation of the Nineteenth Centiuy 

coinmend itself to all who desire to do anvthinof 
beyond their own immediate vicinities for the spread 
of the gospel. We have never seen anything pro- 
posed that came near meeting with the same appro- 
bation in a convention. Nor have we seen anvthino- 
that we could give such an unequivocal approval. 
We hope now that every friend of evangelizing will 
put his hand to the work and push the work, and let 
us hear no more ^^^omX. plans and societies^ but work. 
We can work and live, or refuse to work and die. 

We need nothing now but work, true and 
honest work, with determination, faith and love. 
The lyord put it into the heart of the brethren to 
work while it is called to-day; and may his richest 
blessino-s attend all our efforts!" 

But whatever the merits of the "lyouisville Plan," 
it soon proved a failure in one thing which, above 
all others, was in the hearts of its projectors, it 
failed to secure the co-operation of those who had 
opposed all our missionary efforts in the past. 
"They opposed the old plan because it was not a 
co-operation of churches, and they opposed the new 
plan because it was a co-operation of churches." 
Notwithstanding his hearty endorsement in the be- 
ginning, Mr. Franklin, in a short time, took up his 
pen against it, declaring: "We do not now go 
against it merely because it is not a good human 
scheme, or because it did not succeed; but because it 
is a hii^nan scheme^ with the intention to go against 
all schemes of the kind. We put it and all the con- 
ventions and human creeds on the same footing, and 
go against them because they are human; orig- 
inated in human wisdom and not in the wisdom of. 
God." 



TJie Transition Period 305 

It was now clearly seen that further attempt to 
secure the co-operation of these brethren would be 
useless. "They had set themselves," to use the 
language of W. K. Pendleton, "in opposition to all 
forms of representative gatherings — opposition to 
conventions, opposition to presidents, opposition to 
treasuries, but especially and above all, opposition 
to corresponding secretaries. There was nothing, it 
was contended, higher, bigger, or more to be re- 
spected than a church, 2,necclesia^ a congregation." 
A decade of discussion over plans and compromises 
for the sake of harmony had failed of results. In 
1869 we were as far from our rightful position 
among the missionary forces of the world as in 
1849. 
20 



V. 
THE GROWTH OF A PROGRESSIVE SPIRIT. 

The "Louisville plan" not only failed to con- 
ciliate the anti-society brethren, but what was more 
disastrous to the cause of missions, it failed to 
bring financial relief to the embarrassed treasury of 
the Missionary Society. The plan was faultless as a 
theory. As a literary production it reflected credit 
upon those who drafted it. But when applied to 
existing conditions it would not work. Churches 
which had been indifferent under the old plan re- 
mained indifferent. Individuals who had been deaf 
to the appeals of an unsaved world were afflicted 
with deafness still. The opposition held aloof from 
it until it failed, and then excused themselves for 
refusing to co-operate on the ground that it was a 
failure. " 

The receipts of the society which, under the old 
constitution, had averaged about $10,000 a year 
during the previous decade, did not average $4,000 
during the next ten years. The first year under the 
"Ivouisville Plan" the receipts, which had been 
$10,910 before they began meddling with the con- 
stitution, fell to $4,529, and the board was ultimately 
compelled to draw upon the resources from the 
hymn book fund to pay the salary of the correspond- 
ing secretary. It was no fault of the management 
of our missionary interests that failure confronted 

the new plan. If any man in the brotherhood could 

(300) 



The Transition Period 307 

have worked it, Thomas Munnell, the corresponding 
secretary from 1868 to 1877, was that man. His 
talent and consecration, his pluck and energy, his 
wide experience and administrative ability, fitted 
him for the position, but could not wring success 
from an impracticable system. Before the end of 
the first year it began to look like the days of our 
missionary activity were numbered. Good brethren 
became justly alarmed at the situation. In June, 
1870, the editor of the Millennial Harbinger 
wrote: 

"There is now a crisis before us in the General 
Missionary Society, and it is with no ordinary in- 
terest we await the issue. Whatever that will be it 
will, at least for many years to come, so far as we 

can see, be decisive Now the real test 

is to come, whether we are in heart and soul a mis- 
sionary people, and can work together as one or not. 
If after a sufficient trial we now fail, then truly 
we have no further hope in that direction. The sad 
truth, sad beyond expression, will then break with 
all the force of unquestionable reality upon us, that 
either we are not in convictions and feeling a mis- 
sionary people, or that with all our grand plea for 
Christian unity and union we are altogether unable, 
as a body, to join our hands actually in an organ- 
ized, permanent work. Every true friend of the 
mission cause and every one who has the interests 
and character of our brotherhood and cause deeply 
at heart should feel the full importance of this crisis 
and do his utmost with himself and others to bring 
about a eood result." 



t>' 



In spite of the failures, for which the "Louisville 
Plan" and the anti-society leaders were responsible, 



3o8 Reformation of the Nineteenth Century 

the interest in the cause of missions among the Dis- 
ciples survived and was soon to manifest itself in 
new forms of co-operation and over new fields of 
missionary activity. During this period of mis- 
sionary doubt and despair the undercurrent of 
thought and feeling was setting strongly toward the 
adoption of more liberal and aggressive measures for 
the evangelization of the world. 

The year 1870, the most hopeless in our mission- 
ary history, was also the seed-time of influences 
which were shortly to awaken us to a sense of our 
responsibility. Through the dreary years of hope- 
less discussion over plans the conviction was deepen- 
ing and spreading that, whatever the modus oper- 
andi^ we must be a missionary people or die, that a 
poor plan was better than no plan at all, that work 
done after a faulty model was preferable to noth- 
ing done on the most approved apostolic basis. 

This sentiment now began to find men bold 
enough to become its champions in the face of the 
brand of unsoundness which was sure to be inflicted 
upon them. We have seen how Isaac Krrett, dur- 
ing the early portion of this period, contended 
almost alone in the columns of the Christia7t Stand- 
ard for a more liberal and liberalizing policy. From 
1869 on he found himself in company with a group 
of editors not less devoted than he to the cause of 
Christian missions. The Apostolic Times appeared 
early in the year, and though conservative in many 
respects it recognized the importance of aggressive 
missionary measures to the life and growth of the 
Current Reformation. About the same time ap- 



The Transition Period 309 

peared the Gospel Echo^ with its young editor, J. 
H. Garrison, full of missionary enthusiasm, and the 
Chi'-istian^ under the management of T. P. Haley, 
G. W. Ivongan, A. Procter, A. B. Jones, B. H. Smith 
and George Plattenburg — the two papers soon to be 
merged into one and from St. I^ouis to sound forth a 
call to missionary co-operation. In Iowa, the Evan- 
gelist^ an obscure little monthly, about this time 
became a weekly and soon made strides toward 
metropolitan journalism, progreSvSive and aggressive 
in its spirit at every step of the way. The influence 
of these papers is not to be overestimated in the 
work that was now being accomplished under the 
flag of truce and failure that floated above the 
"lyouisville Plan." 

Another factor not to be overlooked was the influ- 
ence of our feeble but heroic young institutions of 
learning, which were springing up in various quar- 
ters, each one to become a liberalizing center. Too 
much cannot be said for the work done by these 
struggling, unendowed colleges in revealing to the 
Disciples their rightful attitude toward measures 
and expedients which were to insure enlargement, 
nor for the self-sacrificing men who filled their chairs 
without adequate support, that they might point a 
younger generation toward a surer path of conquest. 
Realizing the danger to come from this source the 
conservative forces now attacked an educated minis- 
try, and the institutions that were sending them 
out, as they had previously attacked missionary or- 
ganizations and modern expedients. As liberal 
views began to influence the professors of our col- 



3IO Reformation of the Nineteenth Century 

leges they came in for their share of conservative 
criticism. Even the sacred memory of Alexander 
Campbell and the hallowed associations of Bethany 
were no barriers to the iconoclasm of Mr. Franklin, 
who had become exceedingly mad at whatever fos- 
tered a progressive spirit. 

'^We do not disguise the fact," he wrote in the 
Reviezv of 1873, "that we are not working for Beth- 
an}^ College. We are taking no interest in it. We 
worked for it all the time till Bro. Campbell died. 
But things have been occurring all along 
since to cut our affections off from it till we have no 
sympathy with it. We do not believe it is doing the 
cause any good. We are now measuring every 
word we write and know the meaning of every 
word. We can give reasons for what we are saying 
to any extent the reader may desire. We shall put 
down a very few things briefly here: i. We have 
become perfectly satisfied that education in the pop- 
ular sense is purely secular and is not a church mat- 
ter. The church ought to be connected with no 
educational enterprise. We are in favor of no 
church college. This is a matter that may be dis- 
cussed at length, but we ei.cer into no discussion of 
it now. Still, this would not utterly cut off our 
sympathy with Bethany, other matters being equal. 
2. One of the main pleas Alexander Campbell made 
for a college under the control of Christians was in 
view of the moral training; that no man was edu- 
cated in the true sense who was not cultivated in 
heart. This we hold to be as true as any principle 
yet uttered. To this end there should be sound pro- 
fessors to train students and there should be a sound 
church in the vicinity of the college maintaining the 
highest order of morality, order and discipline." 



The Transition Period 311 

In spite of the failures that had attended our 
missionary movements, in spite of the protests of 
uhra-conservative leaders and editors, a liberal, pro- 
gressive spirit now spread rapidly among the 
churches. The voice of the Master saying, "Go," 
was heard above the noise of unseemly strife about 
plans in the execution of the divine command. As 
our progressive leadership began to see more clearly 
and to feel more deeply the needs of the brotherhood 
they began to realize the inadequacy of efforts then 
being made and set about at once to devise more lib- 
eral things. 

For lack of funds the earlier attempts of the 
American Christian Missionary Society to carry the 
gospel into all lands had been given up. Dr. Bar- 
clay who, for several years, hampered by inadequate 
support, had struggled to plant a mission in Jerusa- 
lem, was recalled at the beginning of the war by an 
empty treasury. J. O. Beardslee, who had been 
sent to establish a mission in Jamaica in 1858, after 
an encouraging success of several years on that 
island, was compelled at last to abandon the enter- 
prise for want of means upon the part of the society 
to sustain it further. All the energies of a people 
now numbering nearly a half million were being ex- 
pended upon the home field. Nowhere outside our 
own land was there a voice raised in defense of the 
primitive Christian faith. While other religious 
bodies were putting treasure and brain and blood 
into the work of carrying the gospel to pagan lands 
we, who were loudest in our professions of loyalty to 



312 Reformation of the Nineteenth Century 

the great commission, had utterly failed to respond 
to its marching orders. 

The importance of a distinctively foreign mission 
work now began to be felt among our representative 
preachers. In the lead stood Isaac Brrett. As he 
now studied the needs of the movement he began to 
feel that not only the salvation of the pagan, but the 
salvation of the church itself, demanded that we who 
claimed to be guided by the will of the Master, ex- 
pressed in his written Word, should get in line with 
God in his revealed desio^n of world-wide evanofeliza- 
tion. He was sure that we would never take our 
rightful place among the religious forces of the age 
until we enlarged our plans of conquest, so as to 
embrace all the nations of the earth. As early as 
1873 -'^^- Brrett, in the columns of the Christian 
Standard^ advocated the organization of a society 
that should turn its attention exclusively to the for- 
eign field. At the General Christian Missionary 
Convention, which, met in Indianapolis that year, 
the importance of this step was urged, but no action 
was then taken. 

In the meanwhile, as men were meditating over 
this advanced step, and hesitating and wondering 
how it could be done, a few Christian women, at a 
meeting in Indianapolis in the summer of 1874, pro- 
posed the organization of a society among the sister- 
hood of the church, that should take up the neg- 
lected work of missions. Quickly responding, the 
Christian Woman's Board of Missions was organized, 
and at the General Convention, which met in Cin- 



The Transition PeiHod 313 

cinnati in October, received the following recogni- 
tion at the hands of the brethren: 

Resolved^ That this convention extend to the 
Christian Woman's Board of Missions recognition 
and hearty approval, assured that it opens a legiti- 
mate field of activity and usefulness in which Chris- 
tian women may be active and successful co-operants 
of ours in the great work of sending the gospel into 
all the world. We pledge ourselves to "help these 
women" who propose to "labor with us in the 
Lord." 

The climax of our missionary movement was 
reached the following year when the organization 
of the Foreign Christian Missionary Society was 
effected. The General Convention met at Louis- 
ville. Mr. Errett, as president for that year, in his 
annual address again called the attention of his 
brethren to the subject that was on his heart, remind- 
ing them that "no people had ever been blessed in 
their home enterprises without a foreign missionary 
spirit and work." Others joined in urging forward 
the inovement. An earnest brotherhood represented 
in the convention heartily responded, and the For- 
eign Christian Missionary Society was born. It was 
the beginning of a new era for the Disciples. No 
sooner did they enter the field of world-wide evan- 
gelism than phenomenal success attended their 
efforts at home and their growth in numbers had 
become the wonder of the religious world. 

Taken as a whole, the period with which we have 
been dealing, though comparatively fruitless in 
itself, was a most important one in the development 



314 Reformation of the Nineteenth Centuiy 

of the plea for the restoration of primitive Chris- 
tianity. At its beginning the Disciples of Christ 
were in danger of becoming the most narrow and 
bigoted of sects, hedged and harassed by the tradi- 
tions of the fathers. At its close they were back 
again upon the foundation that had given them their 
early victories, that of "the apostles and prophets, 
Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone." 
Within the brief period embraced by the years 
1866 and 1875, they had traveled all the way from 
"the bitterness and darkness and bondage of a nar- 
row, opinionated legalism, to the sweetness and 
light of the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us 
free," and in their new-found liberty were enabled 
to so crystallize the energies of the church as to 
launch it upon an era of unprecedented prosperity, 
and give to a people, who had hitherto urged their 
plea in comparative obscurity, a recognized place 
among the religious forces of the century. 



Period of Revival of Home 
Missions 



BENJ. I.. SMITH 



PERIOD OF REVIVAL OF HOME 
MISSIONS 



INTRODUCTION. 

Our missionary work in 1875 had reached its low- 
est ebb; the panic of 1873 ^^^ affected all benevo- 
lent enterprises; the Louisville Plan was breaking of 
its own weight; the total receipts for that year 
amounted to only $4,671.10. 

In that darkest hour our day was born; the Chris- 
tian Woman's Board of Missions had just been or- 
ganized and was entering upon its work; in 1875 
the Foreign Christian Missionary Society was organ- 
ized and entered upon that glorious career which 
means so much for our saving and the salvation of 
the souls that are afar off. 

The twenty-five years that have passed have been 
the years of expansion and closer organization. 

The history of the Period shows the following 
organizations having formed: 

Christian Woman's Board of Missions, organized 

1874. Presidents — Mrs. Maria Jameson, Mrs. O. 

A. Burgess. Corresponding Secretaries — Mrs. C. 

N. Pearre, Sarah Wallace, Maria Jameson, Sarah 

(317) 



3i8 Reformation of the Nineteenth Ceiittiry 

Shortridge, Lois White, Helen E. Moses. Amount 
raised, $773,343- 

Foreign Christian Missionary Society, organized 
1875. Presidents — Isaac Errett, Charles Louis Loos. 
Corresponding Secretaries — Robert Moffett, W. T. 
Moore, W. B. Ebbert, A. McLean. Amount raised, 
11,292,587. 

Board of Church Extension, organized 1888. 
President — D. O. Smart. Corresponding Secreta- 
ries — F. M. Rains, G. W. Muckley. Amount raised, 
$214,000. 

Board of Negro Education and Evangelization, 
organized 1890. President — E. L. Powell. Cor- 
responding Secretary — C. C. Smith. Amount 
raised, $69,000. 

Board of Education, organized 1894. Presidents 
— W. D. McClintock, J. H. Hardin. Corresponding 
Secretaries — A. A. Allen, Hiram Van Kirk. 

Board of Ministerial Relief, organized 1895. 
President — Howard Cale. Corresponding Secretary 
— A. M. Atkinson. Amount raised, $25,000. 

The story of these years is one full of encourage- 
ment, confirming the promise of the Word of God, 
"Indue season ye shall reap if ye faint not," and 
showing that while "Paul may plant and Apollos 
may water," yet it is God that gives the increase. 
The brief story of our organized work is as follows: 

THOMAS MUNNELL'S ADMINISTRATION. 

Thomas IMunnell was corresponding secretary of 
the Kentucky State Board of Missions when he was 



The Revival Period 319 

called to the secretaryship of the American Chris- 
tian Missionary Society. 

He was born in Ohio county, West Virgina, Feb. 
8th, 1823. He graduated with honor from Bethany 
College in 1850. He served as professor of Ancient 
Languages at the Western Reserve Eclectic Institute 
(now Hiram College). He taught in other schools 
and served as pastor of the Eighth and Walnut 
Street Church, Cincinnati, and as corresponding 
secretary of Kentucky. He was the author of the 
l/ouisville Plan, and on its adoption by the conven- 
tion at Louisville, Ky., in 1868, he was elected cor- 
responding secretary of the A. C. M. S., to carry 
that plan into effect. All that any man could do to 
make that famous plan a success Thomas Munneil 
did, but it had to fail. The income of the society 
in those years was as follows: 

18G6 111,902.86 

1867 10,910.74 

1868 7,569.00* 

1869 , 7,525.50 

1870 4,529.91 

1871 4,308.15 

1872..,.. 2,801.04 

1873 4,158.89 

1874 5,172.28 

1875 4,671.10 

1876 5,961.81 

1877 3,327.03 

In 1874 the Silver Jubilee Convention of the A. 
C. M. S. was held at Cincinnati; 208 delegates were 
enrolled. R. M. Bishop was president. The cor- 

* The year of the adoption of the l/ouisville Plan. 



320 Re/or jnatioii of the Nineteenth Century 

responding secretary, Thomas Munnell, reported art 
income of 15,172.28 for the .year. President W. K. 
Pendleton delivered the historical address, reviewing 
the work of the quarter century. This admirable 
address was published in the minutes of the conven- 
tion and Green's History of Missions. 

The country was in the midst of the financial 
panic beginning in 1873. The General Board pre- 
sented a report, embracing the work done by the 
various state boards of missions, and some work 
done by the General Board among the freedmen of 
the South. The failure of the Ivouisville Plan, 
which was Newton's law of gravitation applied to 
missions— one-half of all missionary money raised 
to be used in the district, and the remaining half to 
be sent to the state boaids and again divided, one- 
half of the one-half to be sent to the General Board — 
may be attributed to the proviso: -"But this 
recommendation is not to be considered as pre- 
cluding a different disposition of funds when the 
church contributing so decided." The churches 
generally "so decided," and the district and state 
boards "so decided," and the General Board got 
none. In 1874 the state boards of Ohio, Indiana 
and Missouri were the only ones which remitted ta 
the National Treasury, and the lyouisville Plan fell 
of its own weight. 

The work of Thomas Munnell was identified with 
the lyouisville Plan — he was its author and its en- 
thusiastic advocate. It was a labored effort to 
unify the brotherhood in support of a plan for mis- 
sion work, and Thomas Munnell was faithful in his 



The Revival Period 321 

day; with tireless energy, with faith unfeigned and 
with a zeal that was admirable he toiled to make the 
Louisville Plan a success. One great trouble was 
that they depended upon the plan to do the work^ 
but perpetual motion is a dream not yet realized in 
spiritual dynardics. Yet he was brave. In 1875, 
with an income of only $5,961.81 for general home 
missions, he wrote: "The financial condition of the 
country has checked the flow of benevolence for mis- 
sions in all denominations and has certainly reduced 
our resources one-half, yet we see no cause for dis- 
couragement." In 1877 he received only $3,327.03 
in the general treasury. He laid the burden upon 
the preachers: "Our ministry as a class do not feel 
their personal responsibility in raising money for 
missionary work. It may seem very strange and 
anomalous if some of our best ministers who mourn 
over our deficiencies are here to-day without having 
done anything during the past year for missions, and 
will go home from this convention and repeat their 
past inefficiency and then attend the next conven- 
tion and 'regret our small results.' " 

Thomas Munnell brought order out of chaos; he 
demonstrated the need of organization in our co- 
operative mission work and showed the failure of all 
plans that look well on paper and begin with — "If 
everybody would." 

It was during the administration of Thomas Mun- 
nell that the Christian Woman's Board of Missions 
was organized, October, 1874, and the Foreign 
Christian Missionary Society in October, 1875. 

His farewell report is well worth quoting: 



322 Reformatio)! of the Nineteenth Century 

"Finally, we would suggest a bare possibility as to 
the cause of not doing more missionary work. Per- 
haps we are not worthy to do missionary work; per- 
haps we are not, as ministers, fully consecrated to 
God; we may be depending too much on ourselves; we 
are not strong because we are not weak. If we 
have not been really crucified with Christ it is im- 
possible to reach the ground he stands on. Let us 
go forth, therefore, unto him without the camp, 
lyct us make our missionary work a great success in 
the name of him who 'counted us worthy, putting us 
into the ministry.' Unless there is some chance in 
the future to do the proper work of an evangelist in 
helping to get things into better order, I can spend 
my life more profitably as pastor of some congrega- 
tion and immeasurably more to the satisfaction of 
my half-forsaken family. If the convention should 
release me it would relieve me of a heavy load 
which I have carried without faltering or com- 
plaint. I commend these interests to the care of 
God in the hope that what little I have done in my 
present position will be found unto praise and honor 
at the appearing of Jesus Christ." 

The Acting Board elected F. M. Green to succeed 
Thomas Munnell, and Munnell retired to the Ken- 
tucky Board of Missions, to the pastorate and to 
teaching, serving God faithfully, growing old grace- 
fully and, on account of his intimate relations with 
our co-operative work, writing a large name for him- 
self in our history. He entered into rest Sept. lo, 
1898. 

F. M. green's administration. 

Francis M. Green was corresponding secretary of 
the American Christian Missionary Society from 



The Revival Period 323 

Jan. I, 1878, until October, 1882. He was born in 
Summit county, Ohio, Sept. 28, 1836. His father, 
Philander Green, was one of the pioneer preachers 
of the Western Reserve. F. M. Green confessed his 
faith in Christ when he was sixteen years 
old, and was baptized by Dr. W. A. Belding. 
He entered Western Reserve Eclectic Institute 
(Hiram College) in 1856, and was taught by James 
x^. Garfield. He gave himself to the ministry of the 
Word, was interested especially in Sunday-school 
work, and became editor of the Simday- school Stand- 
ard and the Teacher^ s Mentor^ and later correspond- 
inof editor of the Christian Standard. 

The administration of F. M. Green as correspond- 
ing secretary began in 1878. It was the lowest ebb 
of the affairs of the Missionary Society. The income 
for the first year after he became secretary was 
$1,945.69. A part of this was from the sale of the 
hymn book. 

It was a day of small things in our mission work. 
The society had a desk in the office of the Standard 
Publishing Company. Green served as editor of the 
Standard Company's Sunday-school publications, as 
corresponding editor of the Christian Standard., and 
as corresponding secretary of the missionary so- 
ciety. His annual report to the National Convention 
of 1882, at Ivcxington, Ky., was written after he 
reached Ivcxington. 

His first report embraced the recommendation 
that "special attention be given this great 'home 
field,' whose harvest is so richly ripe and whose 
calls are so imperative." He also said, "This year 



324 Reformation of the Nineteenth Centiuy 

is to prove us; it will be decisive of our character 
and our destiny; our pride has been often wounded 
by the smallness of the results which have followed 
our efforts; we have boasted of our strength and 
numbers, our wealth and power, but it is possible we 
have forgotten the great lesson of God's Word, 'ex- 
cept a corn of wheat fall into the ground and 
die, it abideth alone.' " . 

Bro. Green writes of his work as" corresponding 
secretary: "I finally convinced the brethren that an 
angel of paradise could not make the Louisville Plan 
a success and succeeded in getting the constitution 
changed to provide for a more businesslike method 
of conducting our work." These years witnessed 
the practical closing of the battle for the liberty of 
co-operation in mission work. 

During his incumbency of the secretaryship F. M. 
Green published four books, viz., "Green's Sun- 
day-school Manual," "Green's Minister's Man- 
ual," "History of Christian Missions" and "Life 
of James A. Garfield." He writes: "I did my 
best for the society while I was secretary, and 
whether I received benedictions or otherwise I am 
tranquil." 

Since his resignation in 1882 he has been living 
on his farm, has represented his district in the Ohio 
State Senate, has served as pastor of the churches at 
Wilmington and Stow, Ohio, and recently has pub- 
lished his latest book, "The Life and Writings of 
John F. Rowe." 



The Revival Period 325 

THE ADMINISTRATION OF ROBERT MOFFETT. 

Robert Moffett was born in L<aPorte County, Ind., 
Nov. 9, 1835. Six months later his parents moved 
to Carroll County, 111., locating fourteen miles from 
the Mississippi River. Here he received a common- 
school education. His father. Garner Moffett, was a 
pioneer preacher, supporting his family from the 
farm. He was enthusiastic for the ancient gospel. 
He believed in education, and when the Western 
Reserve Eclectic Institute (Hiram College) was 
opened he sent three of his children. Here Robert 
Moffett began his collegiate course that ended with 
graduation at Bethany in the class of 1859. 

Soon after graduation he married Miss I^ucy A. 
Green, only daughter of A. B. Green, one of the 
ablest preachers of the West Reserve, Ohio. Three 
of their nine children are still living. 

Soon after his marriage he served as county evan- 
gelist of Carroll and Ogle Counties in Illinois, then 
pastor of the churches at Wooster and Mt. Vernon, 
Ohio; and in 1869 he became corresponding secre- 
tary of the Ohio Christian Missionary Society, serv- 
ing continuously for fifteen years, carrying, during 
the last eighteen months, the added work of corre- 
sponding secretary of the American Christian Mis- 
sionary Society. The General Board was served by 
him as corresponding secretary from Oct. i, 1882, 
until Jan. i, 1893, then one year as evangelist of the 
Ontario co-operation, then again corresponding sec- 
retary of the Ohio Society, continuing until July i, 
1899. 



326 Reformation of the Nineteenth Century 

In 1875 he moved to 715 IvOgan Avenue, Cleve- 
land. Here for nearly a quarter century in a small 
room have been worked out the plans in the interest 
of our missions, and from that little room have gone 
out the most earnest appeals for their advancement. 

Robert Moffett owns a comfortable, modest home 
in Cleveland. He pays taxes on some other unre- 
munerative property. So meager has been his sal- 
ary and so many the calls of the brotherhood upon 
him to help in all benevolent work in all parts of 
the country, that he has nothing to show in this 
world's goods as coming from remuneration for his 
services. I^ike many another preacher, he has spent 
himself for others. 

Robert Moffett was a great secretary. As a 
preacher he was the peer of the strong men whom 
we call the fathers. There does not live among us 
to-day a man who can preach stronger or better ser- 
mons on the distinctive teaching of the Disciples of 
Christ than Robert Moffett. 

His administration as corresponding secretary of 
the American Christian Missionary Society began 
Oct. I, 1882. The previous year there had been 
raised about $4,000 cash. There was a balance in 
the treasury of $284.81, and indebtedness amounting 
to $400. The members of the Lexington Conven- 
tion (1882) had pledged about $1,400 a year for five 
years; the other source of income was dividends 
from the various State treasuries. The Lexington 
Convention had authorized a call for a general col- 
lection from the churches in December, 1882. Six 
churches responded, three of them as a result of a 



The Revival Period 327 

personal visit from the secretary. The people were 
indifferent to the claims of general Home Missions; 
the secretary felt that he was asked to "make brick 
without straw." The ten years of Robert Moffett's 
secretaryship were years of growth. The receipts 
were 14,161.73 in 1883, and $21,591.38 in 1893, the 
the total 1142,385.05. 

The offerings increased in other directions from 
$1,882.53 ^"- 1SS3 to $17,298.53 in 1893. New mis- 
sions were established annually. Special funds were 
raised for buildings in Washington, D. C, Boston, 
Chattanooga, Tenn., and Pomona, Cal. 

A large part of Moffett's service was in canvassing 
the stronger churches in Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, 
Kentucky, Iowa and Missouri; visiting churches 
whose pastors were molders of public opinion, and 
so effective were his visits that the treasury has sel- 
dom failed to receive offerings from that day to this. 

During his term the Board of Church Extension 
was organized, first as a standing committee (1883), 
then as a board (1888). 

In 1890 "Children's Day for Home Missions" 
was inaugurated, yielding $350 in 1889 and $2,213 
in 1892. It was dropped in 1894 and revived in 
1898. 

In 1890 the Board of Negro Education and Evan- 
gelization was organized, and the Southern Chris- 
tian Institute was enlarged and put under the care 
of this board during Moffett's administration. 

The board planted or helped many of what are 
now prosperous churches during the decade that 
Moffett superintended the work; 196 churches were 



328 Reformation of the Nineteenth Century 

organized and many others were helped in the time 
of weakness to self-support. 

The sorest trial was the constantly empty treas- 
ury. Hundreds of appeals had to go unanswered, 
and there were those at every annual convention 
who demanded that the board "make more brick 
without straw." The board was economical, and 
over his work the church is already pronouncing the 
plaudit: "Well done, good and faithful servant." 

JOHN H. HARDIN'S ADMINISTRATION. 

John Huffman Hardin was born Nov. 21, 1848, in 
Trimble County, Ky. Like most good preachers he 
was the child of parents poor in this world's goods 
but rich in Christian character. He had but slight 
school advantages in youth, but in after years at- 
tended Kentucky University, and later the Missouri 
State University. He has been a constant reader 
and has attained a very respectable scholarship. 

He was baptized in 1864 and began to preach be- 
fore he was twenty years old. He was ordained in 
1871, served as pastor of the churches at Columbia, 
Ky., Madison, Ind. (where he baptized the writer), 
at Mexico, Mo., and at Hannibal, Mo. He served 
six years as State Sunday-school evangelist of Mis- 
souri and then as corresponding secretary of the 
Missouri State Board of Missions. 

In 1892 he was elected associate secretary of the 
General Society, and in 1893 was promoted to be 
corresponding secretary. 

His administration fell upon the years of the 
panic, 1893, 94 and 95, and yet he held heroically 



The Revival Period 329 

on with his work and brought it through. He, as 
associate secretary, took especial charge of the offer- 
ing of the Sunday-schools, and secured, in 1893, the 
laro^est offering;- that ever came to the General Board 
from that source. 

He planned the Divinity House at Chicago Uni- 
versity and secured its inauguration. 

He recommended the unification of all our home 
missionary work, which is being done as rapidly as 
possible, following the lines marked by the Spring- 
field Convention. 

J. H. Hardin revived the^work of city evangeliza- 
tion; the conference on city evangelization; located 
E. W. Darst in Chicago, and gave an impetus to the 
whole scheme of city evangelization. 

In 1895 J. H. Hardin was called to the presidency 
of Eureka College and resigned the secretaryship of 
the society. Here he has done some of the best 
work of his life. 

THE PRESENT ADMINISTRATION, 

The history of the last three years, covering the 
administration of the present secretary, Benjamin L. 
Smith, is too new to be written. Its heart-cry is, 
"Home Missions to the Front," and its record will 
be the story of the effort to redeem our general home 
missionary work from its position of neglect and 
place it at the forefront of all the aggressive work of 
the Church of Christ. 

Benjamin L. Smith was elected corresponding sec- 
retary of the American Christian Missionary Society 



330 Reformatio7i of the Nineteenth Century 

at the Dallas Convention, October, 1895. He as- 
sumed charge of the work December i, 1895, having 
W. H. Cannon as assistant secretary for one month. 

At the convention held at Springfield, 111., in 
October, 1896, the society was reported out of debt, 
the first time in years. 

The Springfield Convention recommended the uni- 
fication of all Home Mission work by making all 
State and district societies auxiliary to the American 
Christian Missionary Society and asking all these 
societies to report their work to the National Society 
that it might be incorporated in the general report. 
This unification is gradually taking place. 

The Indianapolis Convention unified the work 
still more by uniting the collection for the Board of 
Negro Education and Evangelization with that for 
general Home Missions. Both secretaries were to 
represent both works. 

In carrying out this plan, C. C. Smith was elected 
associate secretary of the American Christian Mis- 
sionary Society and does splendid service in bring- 
ing Home Missions to the front. 

During the last year the results have been most 
gratifying. The board reported last 3^ear 109 mis- 
sionaries at work the whole or a part of the time; 
aggregate amount of missionary work done, loi 
years; visited and helped 820 places; organized 63 
churches; baptized 6,046 persons; had 3,950 acces- 
sions otherwise; total additions last year, 9,996; have 
planned and assisted in building 14 houses of wor- 
ship. "By their fruits ye shall know them." 
Grand total, including work done by all State 



The Revival Period 331 

Boards, we have: Years' work, 181; number of 
workers, 299; number of places where work has 
been done, 1,260; number of churches organized, 
234; number of Bible schools organized, 203; grand 
total of additions, 19,617; of which 11,780 are by 
baptism. 

The board is now helping the State Boards of 
New England, New York, Eastern and Western 
Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Virginia, North Caro- 
lina, South Carolina, Maryland and District of 
Columbia, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, 
Louisiana, Arkansas, Indiana, Indian Territory, 
Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Southern Califor- 
nia, Northern California, Oregon, Washington, 
North Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Minnesota, Wis- 
consin, Michigan, Ontario, thirty-two contracts in 
all, by which we quicken the local workers to larger 
efforts; no missionary money expended has been 
more fruitful in results than the help given our 
weaker State Boards. 



II. 

THE EXPANSION OF OUR MISSIONARY 

WORK. 

THE SUBORDINATE BOARDS OF THE AMERICAN 
CHRISTIAN MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 

The first subordinate Board organized under the 
charter of the American Christian Missionary So- 
ciety was the Board of Church Extension. 

CHURCH EXTENSION. 

Francis M. Rains v/as the first secretary of Church 
Extension, beginning in November, 1888, and con- 
tinuing until January, 1891. His work gave the 
Church Extension Fund an impetus and an influence 
that continues until the present. He increased 
the offering every year that he served as secre- 
tary. 

He was followed by Geo. W. Muckley, beginning 
January i, 1891, and continuing until the pres- 
ent. He has been indefatigable in his service of 
this fund. 

The Board of Church Extension of the American 
Christian Missionary Society was created at the Na- 
tional Christian Missionary Convention which met in 
Springfield, 111., in October, 1888. This provided 
for a board to be located in Kansas City, Mo. , charged 

^ith the duty of raising and administering a loan 

(332) 



The Revival Period 333 

fund for the aid and relief of our churches in the 
United States and Canada unable to provide them- 
selves with houses of worship without assistance; 
also to prepare for making the work of the evan- 
gelist permanent, by assuring the newly organized 
congregation of a home at once, when proper 
investigation proved that the mission was worthy of 
aid and could not build alone. 

Five years previous to the organization of the 
present board in Kansas City, Robert Moffett, cor- 
responding secretary, at the National Convention, 
Cincinnati, October, 1883, recommended: 

' *Many calls have come to us for aid to build houses of 
worship. To all these we have given but one answer, 
viz., that we cannot use regular missionary funds to 
build houses of worship. Wichita, Lavv^rence, To- 
■peka and Atchison, Kansas; Richland Center, Wis- 
consin; Pueblo, Colorado; Jackson, Mississippi; 
Chattanooga, Tennessee, are prominent among the 
many places where efforts are being made to buy or 
build church edifices, and where foreign aid will be 
necessary. Indeed, in many important places the 
want of a suitable place of worship is the chief hin- 
drance to success. 

"In view of this fact, your board has thought it 
advisable to begin the creation of a fund to be known 
as the Church Extension Fund, the principal of 
which shall be loaned upon easy terms to such weak 
churches and mission stations as may stand in need 
of such aid. A note has been prepared for general 
circulation, payable when $5,000 shall have been 
subscribed, and should be circulated for signatures 
during the ensuing year." 

A committee on Church Extension w^as appointed, 



334 Reformation of the Nineteenth Century 

composed of the following brethren: D. R. Van Bus- 
kirk, of Indiana, president; F. M. Drake, of Iowa; 
John N. Dalby, of Missouri; A. I. Hobbs, of Ken- 
tucky, and Timothy Coop, of England. Ivater on 
in the convention the following report was made by 
the committee: 

"Your committee to whom was referred the ques- 
tion of a Church Extension Fund considered the 
same and beg leave to report: 

"i. We are impressed wnth a conviction of the 
pressing need of such a fund as an aid to weak and 
struggling churches striving in the face of discour- 
agements to erect houses of worship. In many 
cases a little timely aid would enable such churches 
not only to become self-sustaining, but in time to 
become helpful to others. 

"2. We recommend that such fund be used only 
as loans to churches needing such aid, at a reason- 
able rate of interest, and only in such amounts 
as may be amply secured by the church prop- 
erty. 

"3. That this fund be designated the Church Ex- 
tension Fund, and that donations and bequests be 
solicited for the creation of this fund. 

"4. That a committee of five members be elected, 
two of them for five years and three of them for three 
years, who shall have in charge the loans from said 
fund, and the securing and collection thereof. They 
shall report from time to time to the acting board of 
managers, and shall pay over all money collected, 
and place all securities in the hands of the treasurer 
of this convention, and the acting board shall pay 
out money upon the recommendation of said com- 
mittee." 

This report having been concurred in by the con- 



The Revival Period 335 

vention, A. I. Hobbs, on behalf of the committee on 
Church Extension Fund, reported the following as 
the committee of five authorized by its first report: 
C. H. Gould, of Cincinnati, O.; S. G. Boyd, of Cov- 
ington, Ky.; Henry Ranshaw, of Covington, Ky.; 
Paris C. Brown, of Newport, Ky., and A. S. lyudlow, 
of Cincinnati, O. 

The first subscriptions made to this fund were 
then given as follows: Joseph Smith, Jr., of Cincin- 
nati, O., $1,000; Timothy Coop, of England, $1,000; 
F. M. Drake, of Iowa, $1,000, andW. S. Dickinson, 
of Cincinnati, Ohio, $500. 

WORK DONE. 

The first report of the committee on Church Ex- 
tension Fund was made the following year, which 
showed that $2,105 had been received and three 
loans made. Under the management of this com- 
mittee in three years $4,711.83 was collected 
and ten loans were made in eight different states. 

THE ORGANIZATION OF THE PRESENT BOARD. 

The National Convention which was held in 
Springfield, 111., in October, 1888, recommended the 
creation of a separate Board of Church Extension. 
Accordingly, article VII of the constitution of the 
American Christian Missionary Society was en- 
acted, which read as follows: 

"The society shall annually elect seven breth- 
ren to serve as a Board of Church Exten- 
sion, five of whom shall reside in or near Kansas 



^^6 Refonnation of the Nineteenth Century 

City. They shall have control of all funds raised 
to be loaned to the churches needing assistance in 
building houses of worship. They shall have 
power to raise and collect funds for this purpose, 
and for necessary expenses incurred in the manage- 
ment of the fund. They shall appoint their own 
meetings, make rules for their government, elect 
their own officers, including a treasurer, who shall 
give bond and report annually to the auditor and 
treasurer of the society. The Church Extension 
Board shall report at the annual meeting of the so- 
ciety. All expenses of the board shall be met from 
the Church Extension Fund, but no part of the 
principal shall be used for this purpose." 

A board of seven men was elected at this conven- 
tion, whose names are as follows: T. P. Haley, 
David O. S.nart, T. R. Bryan, lyangston Bacon, B. 
P. Graves, W. O. Thomas, all of Kansas City, Mo., 
and G. A. Hoffmann, of St. Louis, Mo. D. O. 
Smart was elected the first president of the board 
and has served in that capacity ever since. T. R. 
Bryan has also served as treasurer since the begin- 
ning. W. O. Thomas was the first attorney of th2 
board and served until May i, 1889, at which tim: 
he resigned, and in June lyangston Bacon was elected 
and has been the attorney of the board since that 
time. The amount in the Extension fund which, at 
this time, was turned over to the board at Kansas 
City, was $10,662.80. The amount in the fund to- 
day is, in round numbers, $158,000. 

At the time the board was elected there had been 
22, loans made in 12 states and territories. Since 
that time over 400 loans have been made, 125 of 



The Revival Period 337 

which have been paid off, and over $100,000 has 
been returned from loans and interest and has gone 
out on its second and some on its third round of 
service. 

In 1890 the rate of interest was changed from six 
per cent, to four per cent., and the limit of the 
largest loan was placed at $1,000 instead of $500. 

THE PLAN AND MANAGEMENT. 

The Church Extension Fund is loaned for. five 
years, to be returned in equal annual installments 
within five years or sooner if the mission church so 
desires. The board requires first mortgage security 
with an absolutely clear title, and the house must 
be insured against fire and tornadoes. While the 
board takes the first mortgage, it is not with the 
object of foreclosing the mortgage at the end of the 
five years if the mission church is doing its best to 
return the money. The fund is made helpful 
in every way to get the mission church on its 
feet. 

On December i, 1894, the work having so grown 
in importance, the board found it absolutely neces- 
sary to employ T. R. Bryan for all of his time as 
treasurer, office secretary and bookkeeper, and to ex- 
amine every title, deed and article of incorporation, 
insurance policy, etc. He has entire charge of the 
administration of the fund in the way of loaning it 
and collecting it in a proper and businesslike w^ay. 
When a difficult point arises in the examination of 
any legal document Mr. Bacon, the attorney, passes 

upon it. 
22 



33S Reformation of the Xineteenth Century 

By recommendation of the National Convention at 
Indianapolis, and by further recommendation of the 
Convention at Chattanooga, Tenn., it was urged 
upon our board and brotherhood to co-operate dili- 
gently in lifting the fund to $250,000 by the close of 
1900, because of the fact that we have over 2,500 
unhoused missions in the United States. 

THE BOARD OF XEGRO EVAXGELIZATIOX AXD 
EDUCATIOX. 

The Board of Negro Evangelization and Educa- 
tion was organized in 1S90, and was without a sec- 
retary during its first year. 

The first year showed the receipts to be S3 5. 00; 
after the expenses had been paid S6.10 was left. 
January i, 1S92, C. C. Smith became the representa- 
tive of this work. 

C. C. Smith is the son of John T. Smith, an effec- 
tive preacher of the primitive gospel. C. C. Smith 
was trained at Hiram College, Ohio, in the da^'S 
when Garfield and Almeda Booth were teachers 
and enjoyed the Hiram fellowship in its brightest 
days. 

He began his ministr}' in 1866, preaching three 
years for country' churches. In 1S69 he was called 
to the church at Youngstown, Ohio, where he re- 
mained seven years and built during that time their 
new church house, costing twenty-nine thousand 
dollars. In 1876 he was called to Akron, Ohio, 
where his pastorate continued eight years and where 
he led the church to larger work on missionary lines, 



The Revival Period 339 

culminating in an offering in 1883 of fifteen hundred 
dollars for missionary work. In 1884 the acting 
board of the American Christian Missionary Society 
sent him to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to organize a 
church. The result of his two years' work there was 
the splendid little church at Milwaukee, which is a 
star in the crown of the society. He served as evan- 
gelist of Southern California for one year. In 1887 
he became the minister of the church at Massillon, 
Ohio, where he built a church house and remained 
until 1892, when he was called by the Board of 
Negro Evangelization and Education to become its 
secretary, and in which work he has continued until 
now. Bro. Smith's work as secretary of negro mis- 
sion work is conspicuous for its wisdom and pru- 
dence. He has dignified and exalted that work 
until to-day it has the sympathy of large numbers of 
our people. In 1896 the collection for negro work 
was united with the general offering for Home Mis- 
sions, the Board of Negro Evangelization and Edu- 
cation to receive twenty per cent, of the offerings for 
Home Mission work, and C. C. Smith became asso- 
ciate secretary of Home Missions. 

The board of negro work has its headquarters at 
Louisville, Ky., and is as follows: President, E. L. 
Powell; secretar}', W. J. Loos; treasurer, H. L. 
Stone; J. P. Torbitt, J. C. Sherley, Geo. Darsie, 
W. S. Giltner; corresponding secretary, Clayton C. 
Smith. 

The work of the board is largely educational. It 
maintains the Bible School at Louisville, Ky., for 
training young colored men for the ministry. Of 



340 Reformation of the Nineteenth Century 

this school A. J. Thompson, A. M., is the efficient 
president, he is assisted by Octavius Singleton. 
This school has a record of which it may well be 
proud. 

The second great school is the Southern Christian 
Institute at Bdwards, Miss., under the presidency of 
J. B. Ivchman, with six assistant teachers, with an 
industrial department where training is given in the 
different trades, and a large plantation on which 
needy students can earn their way to an educa- 
tion. 

This school is a great light shining in the dark- 
ness of that Southland, leading many colored men 
and women through industrial education toward per- 
sonal safety. The third great school maintained by 
this board is the Lum Graded School at Lum, Ala- 
bama, under the care of Robert Brooks, a graduate 
of the Southern Christian Institute. It is doing a 
splendid work in a needy field in the black belt of 
Alabama. 

A great test of the work is its reception by the 
white people of the South. Those who opposed 
this work in the beginning are its best friends now. 
They say our schools have changed the social and 
moral life of the negroes coming under their influ- 
ence. The Southern people speak of it as a social 
revolution. 

The board maintains from five to eight evangelists 
in the Southern fields. They have done fairly well, 
but the great need is trained evangelists, and it is 
necessary to raise up a body of stronger men among 
these people. There are at least thirty colored men 



The Revival Period 341 

Avho were trained in our schools, who are now 
preaching the primitive gospel. It will delight our 
brethren to know that the simple primitive gospel is 
proving itself adapted to the colored people. Other 
forms of faith appeal to their feelings; they are 
impulsive. The Calvinistic faith is too cold, but the 
New Testament faith, not a religion of mere feeling, 
but warmed with divine love, can be easily under- 
stood, and can and does enter into and control the 
daily lives of their "brethren in ebony." 

In 1896 the offering for Negro Evangelization 
and Education was merged into the May offering for 
general Home Missions. Special gifts are always in 
order for this great and needed work. 

BOARD OF EDUCATION. 

The next great forward movement among our people 
will be the proper endowment of some of our educa- 
tional institutions. The weakest point in our whole 
line to-day is that presented by our colleges. This 
subject is pressing upon our people for consideration. 
The Board of Education is the co-operation of lead- 
ing colleges among us for the advocacy of the 
cause of education and for the aid of our col- 
leges. At present the board consists of the follow- 
ing: 

MEMBERS OF BOARD OF EDUCATION. 

J. H. Hardin, president, Eureka College; Hiram 
Van Kirk, secretary, Divinity House, Chicago Uni- 
versity; Mrs. i\. A. Forrest, Butler College; E. V. 
Zollars, Hiram College, B. C. Deweese, Kentucky 



342 Reformation of the Nineteenth Century 

University; O. T. Morgan, University of Chicago; J. 
B. Sweeney, Add-Ran University. 

Its work is to create interest in the work of edu- 
cation, to aid our colleges in securing endowment. 
It hopes for a general secretary to push forward these 
interests before the brotherhood. 

Our educational board would claim that the rela- 
tion of our people to the cause of education is log- 
ically one of hearty support. Our religious position 
commits us in the strongest possible way to the 
cause of education. 

To go "back to Christ" means to magnify the 
importance of education. Salvation begins in in- 
struction. The Disciples have opposed the doctrine 
of conversion by abstract operation of the Spirit. 
Men must hear, understand, believe and obey. All 
this involves education. We hold that Christian 
faith is personal, both in object and subject. It is 
progressive and should be constantly enlarging. 
Our view makes the continuous development of faith 
dependent upon education. 

The church is a school for the development of 
character; thus the church is an educational institu- 
tion. 

Our view of the Bible compels us to champion 
the cause of education. The Bible is not a fetish, 
not an object of idolatrous worship, not a mystery to 
be cherished with superstition. It is the revelation 
of God to man, a revelation addressed to man's un- 
derstanding, to be read and understood like any 
other book addressed to the understanding. It has 
its divisions, and is related to the languages, cus- 



The Revival Period 343 

toms and history of the times in which it appeared. 
A knowledge of all these things becomes immensely 
important. This means education. 

The Disciples of Christ have been from the be- 
ginning of their religious movement, both theoret- 
ically and practically, an educational people. The 
first clear lines of the movement were formed around 
that splendid institution — Bethany College. The 
first in the world to make the Bible the basis of its 
educational scheme, this college is now being uncon- 
sciously followed in this feature by many who have 
never heard even the name of the historic temple 
on the banks of the Buffalo. It is safe to say that 
without Bethany College and the other institutions 
which soon grew up in different parts of the coun- 
try after her image and likeness, the restoration 
movement of the nineteenth century would have been 
a failure. 

BOARD OF MINISTERIAL RELIEF. 

The Board of Ministerial Relief was orean- 
ized at the National Convention at Dallas, Texas, in 

1895. 

J. H. Hardin presented the following to the Gen- 
eral Board: 

Whereas, There is a necessity for some more 
adequate provision for our own disabled preachers, 
and the relief of the destitute widows and children of 
deceased preachers; and. 

Whereas, The Lord has put it into the heart 
of Bro. A. M. Atkinson to take steps to greatly 



344 Reformation of the Nmeteenth Ce^itury 

enlarge our Ministerial Relief Fund; therefore, 
be it 

Resolved^ That a committee of five be appointed 
to submit an amendment to our constitution as the 
basis for such curatorship, or board of control, as 
may be deemed necessar}- to the effectiveness of this 
important feature of our work. 

The committee appointed by the General 
Board presented the following report to the con- 
vention: 

1. That we recommend the organization of the 
Ministerial Relief Fund of the Christian Church as 
one of the departments of w^ork of the General 
Christian Missionary Convention. 

2. That we recommend the following change in 
the constitution of the convention: 

"xVrticle IX. The convention shall elect annually 
nine brethren to serve as a Board of Ministe- 
rial Relief of the Christian Church, five of 
whom shall reside in or near Indianapolis, In- 
diana. 

"This board shall have authority to raise and col- 
lect funds for the relief of destitute ministers and 
the dependent families of deceased ministers. They 
shall appoint their own meetings, make rules for 
their own government, elect their own officers, in- 
cluding a treasurer, who shall give bond and report 
annually to the auditor and treasurer of this con- 
vention. 

"The Board of Ministerial Relief shall make a 
full report at each annual meeting of this conven- 
tion." 

3. The number of the remaining articles of the 
constitution shall be changed to provide room for 
this Article IX. 



The Revival Period 345 

4. The committee on nominations is hereby in- 
structed to present to this convention the names 
of nine brethren to serve as a Board of Ministerial 
Relief. 

Respectfully submitted. 

Benj. Iv. Smith, 
A. P. Cobb, 
A. J. Bush, 
G. L. Brokaw, 
F. D. Power, 

Committee. 

The Board of Ministerial Relief has been incor- 
porated under the laws of Indiana and has its 
headquarters at Indianapolis. K. M. Atkinson 
writes: 

''Its Object. — The object of the board is to help 
make suitable provision for the better care of our old 
and disabled preachers and those dependent upon 
them; the widows and orphans of deceased minis- 
ters, our missionaries in this and foreign lands 
who through misfortune may need a helping 
hand. 

"Its Spirit. — It asks that it be not considered a 
charity. It is not a question of grace but of debt — 
a debt on account of the tenderest, holiest service 
possible among men. Those whose care is sought 
are not beggars; they are the King's messengers, 
who have brought us the glad tidings of great 
joy. 

"The Plan of Relief. — To secure a fuller un- 
derstanding of that item in the financial statement 
which refers to loans, attention is called to the plan 
of relief adopted by the board of trustees. After 
careful consideration of the plans suggested, includ- 
ing state and national ministerial homes, the trus- 



34^ Reformation of the Nineteenth Century 

tees decided that it was best for all parties interested 
to extend aid to all persons in their own homes, 
where they could have the care and companionship 
of relatives and friends. 

"The trustees also decided to build up a perma- 
nent endowment fund. This plan has long been in 
force in other churches, and has in all cases given 
satisfaction. 

"The Offering. — The third Lord's day in De- 
cember has been named as a day for offerings to 
Ministerial Relief. If that day is not suitable the 
ministers and churches are urged to select a day that 
will be acceptable — the board covets the gifts that 
love inspires." 

A. M. Atkinson gave himself to the work of Min- 
isterial Relief without any charges from its inception 
until his health failed. The work and worry was 
too much for him, and he has been compelled to let 
it pass to the care of others. Howard C. Cale, 
of Indianapolis, Ind., is the present executive 
officer. 



III. 
the: resuIvTs of the years. 

In this practical way the iVmerican Christian Mis- 
sionary Society has tried to accomplish the pur- 
poses of her existence. 

Fifty years ago our organized mission work had 
its inception. The American Christian Missionary 
Society is the mother of our co-operative mission 
work. x\lexander Campbell was its first president 
and remained until his death. During the fifty 
years the American Christian Missionary Society 
has received and disbursed $860,500. The supple- 
mental funds swell the amount to $2,400,000. Had 
it not been for the existence and leadership of the 
society, the greater part of these funds would not 
have been raised. The figures given do not include 
$264,000 raised for Church Extension, $69,000 raised 
for Negro Education and Evangelization, and 
$25,000 for Ministerial Relief. Other results are 
more significant than the amount of money raised. 
The agents of the society have baptized nearly, if 
not quite, 100,000 souls, and have organized 2,379 
churches. 

The different State Societies which are theoret- 
ically auxiliary to the A. C. M. S., report 193,371 
baptisms and 101,787 other additions, and incomes 
aggregating over three million and a half dollars. 
So far as can be discovered, the whole number of bap- 
tisms reported by the A. C. M. S. and State So- 

(347) 



348 Refoj'mation of the Nhieteentli Ceniitry 

cieties is 283,805, and the other additions 127,066; 
and the whole amount raised is not far from five 
millions. If to this we add $764,000, the amount 
raised by the Christian Woman's Board of Missions, 
and $1,293,000, the amount raised by the Foreign 
Society, we shall have some conception of what has 
been done since the organization of our first Mission- 
ary Society. 

It is safe to say that nearly one-half of our pres- 
ent churches have been organized by the Missionary 
Societies. Hundreds of other churches have been 
fostered and have been saved from discouragement 
and from dissolution. It times of trouble they have 
been aided in settling their difficulties. In their 
weakness they have been helped to secure buildings 
and to pay their debts. Preachers have been put to 
work. Evangelists have been guided and sustained 
in destitute fields. A missionary atmosphere has 
been created. The cause of God has been furthered 
and his name honored. 

Our missionary work has been of untold value to 
us. We have been saved from bickerings and from 
contentions over trifles by the magnitude and moral 
grandeur of the task in hand. We have been 
saved from dogmatism and from conceit and from 
divisions and from heart failure by the efforts we 
have put forth to plant new churches in the regions 
beyond, and by our effort to strengthen those who 
are weak and ready to die. We have been driven 
to our knees and to our God for wisdom and pa- 
tience and for energy sufficient for the need. Our 
missionary conventions have been worth many times 



The Revival Period 349 

what they have cost. They have made for peace 
and good will. They have served to dissipate 
suspicion and to generate confidence and affec- 
tion. 

As men of different types of thought met and be- 
came acquainted they came to esteem each other 
more highly. They saw that the points in which 
they agreed were more numerous and more impor- 
tant than those about which they differed. Our 
conventions have made us conscious of our strength. 
Since we have been meeting in large numbers we 
are ready to tackle the cities and the ends of the 
earth and the devil and all his angels. The fears 
of ecclesiasticism which were entertained at the first 
have vanished. The missionary organizations have 
steadfastly adhered to their own business — that of 
extending the gospel everywhere. In no case have 
they sought to have dominion over the faith or dis- 
cipline of the churches, but to be helpers of their 
work and joy. They have been most signally owned 
and blessed of God. 

The society enters upon the second fifty years 
with high hopes of being used by the Head of the 
Church and by the brotherhood for great purposes. 
It has heard the glad word, "Fear not; for I have 
redeemed thee, I have called thee by my name; thou 
art mine. When thou passest through the waters I 
will be with thee, and through the rivers, they shall 
not overflow thee; when thou walkest through the 
fire thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame 
kindle upon thee. For I am the Lord thy God, the 
Holy One of Israel, thy Savior; I gave Egypt for thy 



350 Reformation of the Nineteenth Century 

ransom, Ethiopia and Seba for thee. Since thou 
wast precious in my sight, thou hast been honorable, 
and I have loved thee; therefore will I give men for 
thee; and people for thy life. Fear not, for I am 
with thee, I will bring thy seed from the east, and 
gather thee from the west; I will say to the north, 
give up; and to the south, keep not back; bring my 
sons from far, and my daughters from the end of the 
earth." (Isa. 43: 1-6). 

To-da}^ the American Christian Missionary Society 
has a great vis'ion of her high calling. If we preach 
the gospel far and wide over America this society 
must be our messenger angel. By her help, her 
missionaries, must this great work be done. 

The Oriental world is immobile; our country is 
just forming. A forceful, spiritual, scriptural Chris- 
tianity can direct our national life. We are placed 
in the midst of this land as leaven in the meal. 
Eight hundred thousand of our million members are 
in seven contiguous states in the Mississippi Valley. 
The Home Society has a vision of the remaining 
three-fourths of the great country needing help to 
plant the simple gospel of the New Testament. 

There is another vision, of the foreign population 
in this land, as yet practically untouched by the 
gospel — fifteen millions. God said, "Go ye into all 
the world and preach the gospel," and then, weary- 
ing with our halting, he has brought all the world 
to us, and we have the vision of Eoreign Missions at 
home. "Whom shall I send?" "Send me," is 
the pleading answer of the Home Missionary So- 
ciety. 



The Revival Period 351 

There is another vision: Our cities need Christ's 
full, true, simple gospel. Denominationalism has 
not succeeded; what can the strong arm of the Lion 
of Judah do? The only statesman that can solve 
the problem of our modern cities is Jesus the 
Christ. 

We need cities as bases of supply, as sources of 
power, to plan large things and do large things for 
the advancement of the gospel. We should hold 
before our eyes the heavenly vision of our cities 
iDeing won to Christ and then be obedient to the 
heavenly vision. 

Here is the largest, the most costly, but the most 
productive field for Home Missions. The city 
makes the town, the town makes the village, the 
village makes the country. The city is headquar- 
ters, the state is the battlefield. If the Lord keeps 
not the city, the land is doomed. The society sees 
the cities and weeps over their sin and sorrow 
and pleads to be sent by the churches to their 
rescue. 

The Home Society has a vision of our negro popu- 
lation wading in the deep waters of our civilization, 
thrust in, unprepared; wading beyond their depth, 
yet unable to swim, they must have help or sink. 
The society has helped in the past, it covets the 
means of helping far more. 

There is the vision of the mountain whites of Ken- 
tucky and Tennessee. These people are poor and 
without much incentive to self-development; with- 
out railroads, without markets, without ambition; 
frequently without almost everything save an 



352 Reformation of the Nineteenth Centitry 

all-pervading want; yet God raised from them 
the typical American of the century, Abraham Ivin- 
coln. 

Thousands of these young people are sitting on 
fences gazing blankly into a hazy future because 
they have nothing practical to do, because 
they do not know how to do anything practical. 
Fifty years will not be enough to lift these to the 
standard of intelligent Christian citizenship. The 
Home Society has a vision of their needs and pleads 
for power to help them. 

Then follows the vision of the Mormons, the dark- 
est blot on the land to-day; covenant-breaking, dis- 
obeying the law in public, reaching out to grasp the 
political control of eight states of the Union, and 
blighting the lives of thousands. Nothing but the 
power of the simple gospel can break it to pieces. 
The society has a vision of the day when twenty to 
forty missionaries will be at work preaching the sim- 
ple gospel all over that inter-mountain land and win- 
ning victories for Christ. 

Then comes the vision of greater America. To 
the north lies Canada, Manitoba, British America 
and Alaska; to the east the Maritime Provinces and 
our own New England, pleading with tears in their 
eyes to send them more preachers of the simple New 
Testament faith; to the south, Porto Rico, a gem of 
the sea, waiting to be transformed into a diadem for 
his crown; Cuba, quivering in the death-throes of 
superstition; Mexico wanting, yet not understanding 
Her own wants — all this comes into the vision of the 
American Christian Missionary Society. And then 



The Revival Period 353 

far away she sees her fair daughter, the Foreign 
Christian Missionary Society, going into the ut- 
most parts of the earth to tell the glad story, and 
her eyes see the glory of the coming lyord. To go, 
like the Harbinger of old, to proclaim His advent 
and to prepare a way for the coming of His feet, 
and in country and hamlet, mountain and city, in 
the cold north and the sunny south, to fit the hearts 
of his people for the indwelling of God through his 
Holy Spirit — this is the mission of the American 
Christian Missionary Society. 

HOME MISSIONS IN FOUR WORDS. 

The plea for Home Missions can be made in four 
words : 

1. For the sake of souls. Nowhere can we win 
souls with so little effort and so little cost. The 
harvest is ripe, the laborers are few. Pray ye the 
Lord of the harvest that he may send forth laborers 
into the harvest. 

2. For the sake of our plea for Christian union. 
Nowhere can our plea receive so respectful a hearing 
as in America. This is the seat of the disease of 
denominationalism; here is where we are to carry 
the cure; our distinctive plea is essentially adapted 
to American Christianity. God in his providence 
sent it to America by our fathers and every motive 
that sent our fathers with this great plea im- 
pels us to-day to send it all over the goodly land. 

3. For the sake of our country. America needs 

the gospel of our Lord. Jesus Christ is the only 

statesman who can properly solve the problems that 
23 



354 Reformation of the Nineteenth Century 

are before our people to-day. Every high motive of 
patriotism appeals to us to make this land Imman- 
uel's land. 

4. For the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus 
needs America just as much as America needs Jesus. 
God has ordained that nations should be his wit- 
nesses as much as individuals. It is ordained that 
America shall stand before the nations and bear 
witness. God wants that testimony to be for 
righteousness and for the gospel of the Son of 
God. 

The Anglo-Saxon blood is the conquering blood; 
God wants that blood to be pure and healthful. 

By these four words Home Missions lays claim to 
our love, our help and our prayers. 

The society stands to-day in the presence of the 
greatest opportunities that have come to her. Pos- 
sessing the grandest plea under heaven before men — 
the plea for the union of all God's people on the 
Word of God alone as the only rule of faith and 
practice — like Paul of old, she has visions of her 
high calling in Christ Jesus, Macedonian cries, 
"Come and help us," and comforting assurances, 
"Be not afraid, but speak and hold not thy peace, 
for I am with thee and no man shall set on thee to 
hurt thee, for I have much people in this land," 
and she will not be disobedient to the heavenly 
visions. 

It would be a difficult task to prophesy as to the 
physical and material development of the country 
during the next fifty years. We will have one hun- 
dred and twenty-five or one hundred and fifty mil- 



The Revival Period 355 

lions of people; the great valley of the Mississippi 
will have a population of fifty millions; the Pacific 
coast will have twenty millions; the Atlantic coast, 
where there are now twenty millions, will reach at 
least thirty-five millions of people, all these with 
immortal spirits — many destitute of the gospel; to 
provide these with spiritual food is the task laid 
upon the Church of God. 

The society will become a rallying-point in which 
the great body of our brethren may meet in fraternal 
affection and united efforts for the upbuilding of the 
kingdom of our I^ord; there will be far more concen- 
tration of effort of those who hold to one L<ord, one 
faith and one baptism. 

Home Missions and Foreign Missions will be rec- 
ognized as the two wings of our growth, and as the 
years come and go they will be equally cherished and 
supported. 

To make large the base o'f supplies for our Foreign 
work we must support Home Missions. 

Hear our Father saying, "Enlarge the place of 
thy tent . . . spare not. Lengthen thy cords 
and strengthen thy stakes ; for thou shalt break forth 
on thy right hand and on thy left hand." 

In every mark of divine approval, in the fact that 
our plea never received so responsive a hearing as 
now, in the rapid growth God has given us as a 
people, our God is saying to us: "Behold this 
goodly land; it is yours and you are able to possess 
it for the religion of Jesus Christ." We should 
keep step with the march of God's providence and 
^et out with him beyond the camp of indifference 



356 Reformatio}! of the Nineteenth Century 

for the possession of America for Christ. "Home 
Missions to the front" should be the cry of every 
minister, every elder and member of the body of 
Christ, and it should never cease until we have won 
the victory. 



IV. 

CHRISTIAN UNION IN OUR NATIONAL 
CONVENTIONS. 

The supreme purpose of our religious movement 
was the plea for Christian union; the method was 
by the restoration of the primitive gospel, and call- 
ing all men to forsake all humanisms in religion 
and receive the Word of God alone as the only rule 
of faith and practice. 

In 1 87 1 the Free Baptist Church made overtures 
for union, and committees were appointed on both 
sides, but nothing practical came of it. 

THE EPISCOPAL OVERTURE FOR CHRISTIAN UNION. 

In 1887 ^^^ convention of the Episcopal Church, 
through its secretary, Herman C. Duncan, trans- 
mitted the declaration of the House of Bishops on 
the subject of Christian union, pleading for Christian 
union and saying: 

1. Our earnest desire is that the Savior's prayer, 
''that we may be one," may, in its deepest and 
truest sense, be speedily fulfilled. 

2. That we believe that all who have been bap- 
tized with water in the name of the Father, and of 
the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, are members of the 
holy catholic church. 

3. That in all things of human ordering or hu- 
man choice, relating to modes of worship and dis- 
cipline, or to traditional customs, this church is 

(357) 



358 Reformation of the Niiieteenth Century 

ready in the spirit of love and humility to forego all 
preference of her own. 

4. That this church does not seek to absorb other 
communions, but rather, co-operating with them on 
the basis of a common faith and order, to discounte- 
nance schism, to heal the wounds of the body of 
Christ, and to promote the charity which is the 
chief of Christian graces and the visible manifesta- 
tion of Christ to the world. 

Bid fiirther7nore ^ we do hereby affirm the Chris- 
tian unity, now so earnestly desired by the memorial- 
ists, can be restored only by the return of all Chris- 
tian communions to the principles of unity exempli- 
fied by the undivided catholic church during the 
first ages of its existence; which principles we be- 
lieve to be the substantial deposit of Christian faith 
and order committed by Christ and his apostles to 
the church unto the end of the world, and therefore 
incapable of compromise and surrender by those 
who have been ordained to be stewards and trustees 
for the common and equal benefit of all men. 

As inherent parts of this sacred deposit, and there- 
fore as essential to the restoration of unity among 
the divided branches of Christendom, we account 
the following to wit: 

1. The Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Tes- 
tament as the revealed word of God. 

2. The Nicene Creed as the sufficient statement 
of the Christian faith. 

3. The two sacraments — Baptism and the Supper 
of the Lord, ministered with unfailing use of 

•Christ's words of institution and of the elements or- 
dained by him. 

4. The Historic Episcopate locally adapted in the 
methods of its administration to the varying needs 
of the nations and peoples called of God unto the 
unity of his church. 



The Revival Period 359 

Furthermore^ deeply grieved by the sad divisions 
which afflict the Christian Church in our land, we 
hereby declare our desire and readiness, as soon as 
there shall be any authorized response to this 
declaration, to enter into brotherly conference with 
all or any Christian bodies seeking the restoration of 
the organic unity of the church with a view to the 
earnest study of the conditions under which so 
priceless a blessing might happily be brought to 
pass. 

REPLY TO THE EPISCOPAL OVERTURE. 

On motion this communication was referred to a 
special committee, as follows: Isaac Errett, D. R. 
Dungan, J. W. McGarvey, A. R. Benton, B. J. 
Radford, J. H. Garrison. The reply, written by 
Isaac Errett and by him read to the convention, was 
a masterly document, as follows: 

Dear Sir: — Your communication, addressed to 
the General Christian Missionary Convention, 
through R. Moffett, its corresponding secretary, was 
by him laid before our convention at its annual 
meeting in Indianapolis, October the 20th, 1897. 
x\fter due consideration the following response was 
unanimously agreed to, which you will please pre- 
sent to your honorable commission, with assurances 
of our cordial approval of their noble aim. 

Having carefully and with deep interest consid- 
ered the declaration of the House of Bishops of the 
Protestant Episcopal Church, adopted October 20, 
1886, we respectfully and affectionately submit the 
result of our deliberations. In doing this, it is 
proper to say that the General Christian Missionary 
Convention is possessed of no ecclesiastical author- 
ity. It is made up partly of delegates from our 



360 Reformation of the Nineteenth Century 

state and territorial missionary conventions and 
partly of annual members, life members and life 
directors, and its objects are purely benevolent and 
philanthropic. It has no control over the faith and 
discipline of our churches. While there is a broad 
Christian fellowship of faith and love among all 
these churches in districts, states and nation, for 
missionary, educational and other benevolent and 
charitable purposes there is no central ecclesiastical 
organization, having control of questions of doctrine 
and discipline, and no possibility, therefore, of an 
authoritative response to your declaration. But as 
this convention is composed of members from all the 
states and territories in which we have churches and 
of members of these churches embracing a fair share 
of the intelligence, experience and wisdom of their 
membership, this unanimous expression of sentiment 
on the part of this convention may be safely regarded 
as the most trustworthy utterance obtainable of the 
convictions of the entire brotherhood in the United 
States known as Christians or Disciples of Christ. 
We have the fullest confidence that it will be gen- 
erally approved. 

iVllow us therefore to say : 

I. You may infer with what lively interest and 
admiration we regard the declaration of your House 
of Bishops, when we state that in so far as our relig- 
ious movement is distinctive, its original differentia- 
tion from all other religious movements of the time 
w^as the condemnation of the sect spirit and of sec- 
tarian organizations as unscriptural, sinful and fruit- 
ful of mischief, and the advocacy of the return to 
the unity, catholicity and spirituality of the faith 
and practice of the churches of apostolic times; a 
return, in other words, to New Testament teaching. 
This movement, which took on, in 1809, the public 
form of a voluntary Christian association, finally 
developed into the organization of churches to re- 



The Revival Period 361 

store, as it was then expressed, "in letter and in 
spirit, in principle and in practice," the faith and 
discipline of apostolic times. 

They were known simply as "churches of Christ." 
These organizations were formed, not because those 
entering into them desired a separation from the 
ecclesiastical communions with which they had been 
associated, but because the narrow and bitter sec- 
tarian spirit then prevailing forbade all utterance of 
such anti-sectarian sentiments and all promotion of 
such anti-sectarian aims within their respective 
pales. These churches have increased until now 
they number, in the United States, about 800,000 
communicants, and to-day there sounds out from 
them all, with no diminution of earnestness or em- 
phasis, the same condemnation of sectarian parties, 
sectarian creeds, sectarian names, sectarian aims, 
and the same entreaty for the unity of faith and 
catholicity of spirit taught, fostered and defended 
by the apostles of Jesus Christ. We cannot, there- 
fore, do otherwise than hail with gladness the dec- 
laration of your desire and readiness, so soon as 
there shall be any authorized response to this dec- 
laration, to enter into brotherly conference with all 
or any Christian bodies seeking the restoration of 
organic unity of the church with a view to the 
earnest study of the conditions under which so price- 
less a blessing might be happily brought to pass. 
We are especially glad that this overture comes from 
the Protestant Episcopal Church. Eminently con- 
servative as that church is known to be, its leader- 
ship in such a movement is evidence that the 
religious sentiment in this country in behalf of 
Christian unity is deep and strong, while the cau- 
tious proceedings of thirty-three years, ripening into 
the declaration and the appointment of this com- 
mission, give us unmistakably the results of mature 
deliberation and ripe conviction. While we do not 



362 Reformation of the Nineteenth Century 

accord with everything suggested in the declaration 
as to what "is essential to the restoration of unity 
among the divided branches of Christendom," we 
do most heartily approve the proposal for "brotherly 
conference" with a view to the earnest study of the 
conditions under which the desired unity may be 
brought to pass. 

2. The frankness and candor with which you 
express your understanding of "the principles of 
unity" is, in our view, as admirable as the kind 
spirit in which you invite us to brotherly conference. 
While it would be manifestly premature to enter at 
present on a discussioji of any of these principles, 
we deem it altogether proper to imitate your frank- 
ness in simply stating^ in the light of the inves- 
tigations and experience of three-quarters of a 
century, what we deem essential to Christian unity. 

I. We heartily concur in your statement of the 
first essential to the restoration of unity: the recog- 
nition of "the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New 
Testaments as the revealed Word of God." In the 
language of the Westminster Confession of Faith, 
"The whole counsel of God concerning all things 
necessary for his own glory, man's salvation, faith 
and life, is either expressly set down in the Scrip- 
ture, or by good and necessary sequence may be 
deduced from the Scriptures, "unto which nothing 
is at any time to be added, whether by new revela- 
tions of the Spirit or the traditions of men. ' ' ' 'And , 
though all things in Scripture are not alike plain in 
themselves, not alike clear unto all, yet those things 
which are necessary to be known, believed and ob- 
served for salvation are so clearly compounded and 
open in some place of Scripture or other, that not 
only the learned, but the unlearned, in due use of 
the ordinary means, may attain unto a sufficient 
understanding of them." 

The Holy Scriptures are the only catholic rule of 



The Revival Period 363 

faith and discipline. On no other platform can the 
scattered hosts of spiritual Israel be restored to 
unity. The Historic Episcopate, * 'or the principles 
of unity exemplified by the undivided catholic 
church, ''during the first stages of its existence"^ " 
will not be accepted by the various "divided branch- 
es of Christendom" as ^''essentiaV^ to Christian unity, 
or as binding on the conscience. Nothing less au- 
thoritative than a thus saith the Lord will be univer- 
sally recognized as essential to Christian unity, or as 
binding on the conscience. The history of the early 
Christian centuries may have a universally admitted 
value as illustrating or confirming Scripture; but as 
essential to union in Christ no historical teaching 
outside of the inspired books will ever be universally 
or even generally accepted by the divided branches 
of Christendom. For instance: If .parochial or dio- 
cesan episcopacy or an order of priesthood in the 
church other than the "royal priesthood" which be- 
longs to all believers is set forth in the New Testa- 
ment Scriptures as of divine authority, then col- 
lateral evidence of such forms of episcopal govern- 
ment and such order of priesthood may be brought 
from the history of the undivided catholic church 
during the first ages of its existence, and such tes- 
timony of a "Historic Episcopate" would doubtless 
be allowed to have its just weight. But a basis of 
union involving anything as essential other than 
what is contained in the revealed Word of God, we 
regard as utterly impracticable. 

What we have said of the testimony of the early 
Christian centuries may also be said of what is 
styled the Apostles' Creed, the Nicene Creed, and all 
human creeds. Nothing less authoritative than 
God's Word should be regarded as beyond the reach 
of "compromise and surrender." "Hold fast the 
form of sound words which thou "hast heard of me," 
said the inspired Paul to Timothy. No form^of un- 



364 Refonnaiion of the Nmeteenth Century 

inspired words, however admirable in the estimate 
of the multitudes, can be insisted on as beyond 
"compromise or surrender-' without placing an in- 
superable obstacle in the way of "the restoration of 
unity among the undivided branches of Christen- 
dom." "If any statement of the Christian faith" 
should at any time be deemed necessary, not as a 
bond of fellowship, but for public information, or to 
condemn prevalent errors, we respectfully submit 
that Christians of to-day can put such a statement in 
form much better suited to the people of this gen- 
eration than the Nicene formula, which had its birth 
"out of the controversies of that time, and came into 
being under conditions which not only do not exist, 
but which are not so much as known to the 
great majority of professed Christians of the present 
time. 

The restoration of unity demands a return to New 
Testament teaching. We may not presume to im- 
prove on the ideas of unity and catholicity taught by 
inspiration. We ought to improve on ih.^ practice of 
the apostolic churches, being made wiser by their 
errors and by the apostolic rebukes which those 
errors called forth; but in our conceptions of spirit- 
ual unity and ecclesiastical union, of catholicity, 
and of all that is to be insisted on as essential to 
Christian fellowship and "incapable of compromise 
and surrender," we must be guided solely by the 
teaching of Jesus, the Christ, and his apostles. 

Coming then to the New Testament, to the "pure 
river of water of life, bright as crystal, proceeding 
out of the throne of God and of the Lamb" before 
it was contaminated by the muddy stream of 
human doctrine and tradition, what do we find? 

I. That the original inspired creed — that, and 
that alone which was required to be believed and 
confessed by all Vho sought membership in the 
church of God — had but one article, viz., "Jesus is 



The Revival Period 365 

the Christ, the Son of the living God." That 
which justified and saved and held all the saved in 
one blessed fellowship was not assent to a system of 
doctrines, a formulation of speculative opinions and 
theories, or a form of church government, but faith 
in Jesus, the Messiah, the Son of God. Faith 
in a divine person, love of a divine person, absolute 
and entire personal surrender and committal in con- 
science, heart and life to a divine person — this was 
the requirement, the only requirement, laid on those 
who sought salvation and entrance into the fellow- 
ship of Christians. This is a divine creed, which 
can neither be "compromised nor surrendered." 
Everything that is not legitimately involved in this 
one article of faith concerning the Christhood and 
divinity of Jesus as a test of fitness on the score of 
faith for admission to membership in the church, 
not only may be but ought to be surrendered. 

2. That all who confessed this faith in the Lord 
Jesus were admitted to Christian fellowship by im- 
mersion in water into the name of the Father, and 
of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. And only such 
were admitted. We should say, therefore, that only 
those who thus accepted Jesus as their Lord and 
Savior and were thus immersed were, in the apos- 
tolic age, members of the church of God; or, to use 
the language of the declaration, "members of the 
holy catholic church." The churches of the apos- 
tolic times acknowledged "one Lord, one faith, one 
baptism," and these were- among the essentials of 
Christian unity. 

3. That those who were thus added to the church 
were continued in fellowship so long as they walked 
in the commandments of Jesus. Obedience to the 
Lord Jesus — in other words. Christian character — 
was the test of fellowship in the church. If any 
one denied the Lord that bought him or refused to 
honor him by obedience to his commandments, he 



366 Reformation of the Nineteenth Century 

was to be condemned as unworthy of Christian fel- 
lowship. But so long as one cherished faith in the 
Son of God and kept his commandments, he was 
entitled to a place among the children of God. If 
he was right concerning Christy though he might be 
wrong about many things, it was presumed that 
Christ would bring him right about everything es- 
sential to spiritual life and enjoyment. And if he 
was not right as to his faith in and obedience to 
Christ, however free from error in other respects, his 
unbelief and disobedience formed an insurmountable 
barrier to the fellowship of Christians. 

It will be seen that this is catholic ground. 

"The Holy Scripture of the Old and New Testa- 
ments, the revealed Word of God," is catholic. 
This cannot be said of any creed of human com- 
pilation. 

Faith in Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God, is 
catholic. It is the faith of all who accept the 
Old and New Testaments as the revealed Word of 
God. 

The immersion of believers into the name of the 
Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit is 
catholic. No one disputes that the believer is the 
proper subject of baptism, while there is a serious 
and widespread controversy over the admission of 
infants to that ordinance. All admit that the im- 
mersion of a proper subject is valid baptism, while 
there is endless controversy over sprinkling and 
pouring. 

Disciples of Christ, Christians, Church of God, 
Churches of Christ — these are catholic. All the 
evangelical parties claim these designations and 
complain of any exclusive appropriation of them; 
while Episcopalian, Presbyterian, Baptist, Method- 
ist, etc., are party names, which can never be uni- 
versally approved. 



The Revival Period 367 

Here, then, we stand on unsectarian ground, where 
it seems to us, if anywhere, we find the essential 
principles of Christian unity, which cannot be com- 
promised or surrendered. 

4. Outside of that which is essential to Christian 
unity there are many things pertaining to growth in 
knowledge, to methods of working, etc., in reference 
to which, for the sake of peace and for the preserva- 
tion of unity, there should be a common agreement. 
There should, we think, be the largest liberty of 
opinion, of investigation and of utterance on all 
questions arising out of the study of the Scriptures, 
and no one who holds to Jesus "as God manifest to 
the flesh," and who keeps his commandments, 
should be disturbed in his church relations on ac- 
count of his opinions, provided he does not attempt 
to force his opinions on others or to make an accep- 
tance of them a test of fellowship. Should he 
attempt this he becomes a factionist, to be rejected 
after the first and second admonition. 

Many questions unprofitable for discussion in the 
pulpit may be profitably, or at least harmlessly, dis- 
cussed in the schools, to which all speculative ques- 
tions should be remanded. 

There are practical questions — questions of method 
in carrying out the work of the church — which, 
being left to the discretion of Christians, to be an- 
swered according to times and circumstances, should 
never be made tests of fellowship or occasions of 
strife. In questions of this class — as to what is ex- 
pedient and not as to what is of divine authority 
and obligation — Christians should learn to please 
each other and study the things that make for peace 
and edification. We are pleased, therefore, to read 
in the declaration, "That in all things of human 
ordering or human choice, relating to modes of wor- 
ship and discipline, or to traditional customs, this 
church is ready, in the spirit of love and humility, 



368 Reformation of the Nineteenth Century 

to forego all preferences of her own. ' ' To refuse to 
forego preferences in all things of human ordering 
or human choice, or in things resting on mere tra- 
ditional authority, and to allow such preferences to 
stand in the way of Christian union, would be to 
assume the tremendous responsibility of exalting the 
human to an equality with the divine. May we not 
say that it would be to make the Word of God of 
none effect by human traditions and usages? If 
"the spirit of love and humility" prevail, this Dec- 
laration of the Protestant Episcopal Church will 
receive unstinted approval from all who aim to "keep 
the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." Yet 
it is just here that we fear. It is so easy to mistake 
attachment to mere usages for a conscientious adher- 
ence to God's will, that there is more danger of dis- 
agreement in things not taught in the Scriptures 
than in things that are taught therein. 

5. There remains one item in the Declaration too 
important to be passed without notice: "That this 
church does not seek to absorb other communions, 
but rather, co-operating wdth them on a basis of 
common faith and order, to discountenance schism, 
to heal the w^ounds of the body of Christ and to pro- 
mote the charity which is the chief of the Christian 
graces and the visible manifestation of Christ to the 
world." As we understand it, this is a gratifying 
declaration. We do not regard it as looking toward 
a theological and ecclesiastical electicism or syncre- 
tism by which the various denominational systems 
and doctrines and church governments shall be per- 
petuated, in whole or in part, under some nebulous 
scheme or vague profession of Christian unity, but 
simply as a frank disavowal of selfish aims. This 
is alike manly and just. It exhibits the only spirit 
in which it is possible to "discountenance schism 
and heal the wounds of the body of Christ." Not 
what will promote the interests of any denomination, 



The Revival Pei^iod 369 

but wliat will serve the purposes and promote the 
welfare of the "one body" of Christ, is to be sought. 
All other communions should adopt this sentiment 
as their own, as a necessary preliminary to all suc- 
cessful efforts to heal divisions and make manifest 
that unity which is so prominent a characteristic of 
the Church of God. 

In conclusion, permit us to say that we very cor- 
dially approve the gentle and loving spirit that 
breathes in your Declaration, and heartily coincide 
with your proposal to "enter into brotherly confer- 
ence with all or any Christian bodies seeking the 
restoration of the organic unity of the church wnth a 
view to the earnest study of the conditions under 
which so priceless a blessing might happily be 
brought to pass." We respectfully submit this 
answer to your Declaration with humble reliance on 
the Head of the Church that we may be delivered 
from pride and prejudice, and be led into all the 
truth, so that all may seek the same thing, and 
that there may be no division among us, but that w^e 
may be perfected together in the same mind and the 
same judgment — thus realizing and fulfilling the 
prayer of our blessed Lord and Savior in behalf of 
all who believe in him: "That they may all be one; 
as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they 
may be one in us, and that the world may believe 
that thou hast sent me." 

Isaac Errett, 

J. W. McGarvey, 

D. R. Dung AN, 

J. H. Garrison, 

B. J. Radford, 

C. L. Loos, 

A. R. Benton, 

Committee. 
24 



370 Reformation of the Nineteenth Ce^itury 

The Conventiou of 1890 appointed a standing 
committee on Christian union as follows: 

B. B. Tyler, F. D. Power, C. ly. Loos, T. P. 
Haley, R. Moffett. B. B. Tyler, as chairman, 
made annual reports on Christian union, of which 
the following is a summary: 

There are five definite plans of union before the 
people: 

1. The first to be named in this report is the last 
that has been presented: it is the scheme of the Pope, 
and so the Catholic Church. "Submission" is the 
only word which exactly characterizes this plan. 
The way to the reunion of all Christendom is for all 
men, churches and institutions to acknowledge the 
Pope as the vicegerent of God, and humbly submit 
to his authority. Submission to "His Holiness" on 
the part of all who believe will solve the problem of 
union among Christians. 

2. The word "consolidation" describes the plan 
of union proposed some years ago by the House 
of Bishops of the Protestant Episcopal Church 
in the United States and the Lambeth Confer- 
ence. 

So prominent has this scheme been for a number 
of years that we are generally familiar with its 
terms. Innumerable articles have been published in 
newspapers, religious and secular, in dignified re- 
views and stately quarterlies, as well as stereotyped 
books. 

The four articles as proposed by the House of 
Bishops, and amended by the Lambeth Conference, 
are as follows: 

First. The Holy Scriptures of the Old and New 
Testament, as containing all things necessary to 



The Revival Period 371 

salvation, and as a rule and ultimate standard of 
faith. 

Second. The Apostles' Creed as the Baptismal 
Symbol, and the Nicene Creed as the sufficient state- 
ment of the Christian faith. 

Third. The two sacraments ordained by Christ 
himself — Baptism and the Supper of the Lord — 
ministered with the unfailing use of Christ's 
words of institution, and of the elements ordained 
by him. 

Fourth. The Historic Episcopate, locally adapted 
in the methods of its administration to the varying 
needs of the nations and peoples called of God unto 
the unity of his church. 

An important contribution to the current discus- 
sion of the problem of union was the publication of 
a symposium in the Independent newspaper, March 
8, 1894, on "Ministerial Reciprocity," to which 
only Bishops in the Protestant Episcopal Church 
contributed. There were thirty or more contribu- 
tors, who with one voice declared that they were 
willing to recognize as ministers of the gospel only 
those who have been set apart to this sacred service 
by Episcopal ordination. This was an important 
contribution as tending to show how little, after all 
that has been said, the Episcopal Church is willing 
to promote unity and union. 

3. A plan of denominational confederation has 
found much favor among Presbyterians. A meeting 
was held in Philadelphia last April in which repre- 
sentatives of eight Presbyterian and Reformed de- 
nominations in the United States considered and 
agreed on a plan of federal union, which was ordered 
to be forwarded to the Synods and General Assem- 
blies of the churches represented. The churches 
officially represented were the Presbyterian Church 
in the United States of America, the Reformed 
Church in the United States, the United Pres- 



372 Reformation of the Nineteenth Century 

byterian Church, the Reformed Presbyterian 
Church (General Synod), the Reformed Church, 
(Synod), the Cumberland Presbyterian Church 
and the Associate Reformed Synod of the South. 

4. The fourth plan of union is well described by 
the word "compromise." The Congregational State 
Association of New Jersey, at its meeting in East 
Orange last April said: 

We propose to the various Protestant Churches 
of the United States a union, or an alliance, based 
on — 

(i) The Scriptures of the Old and New Testa- 
ments, inspired by the Holy Spirit as contain- 
ing all things necessary to salvation and as being 
the rule and ultimate standard of Christian faith. 

(2) Discipleship to Jesus Christ, the Divine Savior 
and Teacher of the world. 

(3) The Church of Christ ordained by him to 
preach his gospel to the world. 

(4) Liberty of conscience in the interpretation 
of the Scriptures and in the administration of the 
church. 

Such an alliance, the report continues, should 
have for its object, among others: 

(i) Mutual acquaintance andfellowship. 

(2) Co-operation in Foreign and Domestic Mis- 
sions. 

(3) The prevention of rivalries between compet- 
ing churches in the same field. 

(4) The ultimate organic union of the whole visi- 
ble body of Christ. 

This action will become the proposition of ten 
Congregational denominations in the United 
States. 

(5) The plan of union proposes to go back to the 
apostolic age and restore the unity which existed 
among the believers in the beginning. 



The Revival Period 373 

In that one catholic, apostolic church we have an 
example and model of church unity. This model 
shows that the believers in Jesus in the apostolic 
age were: 

(i) United in their creed. They believed in 
Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God. This was and 
is the creed of Christianity. The church needs no 
other. 

(2) Their ordinances were two — baptism and the 
Lord's Supper, ordained- by Christ, the Head of the 
body. 

(3) Those early disciples endeavored to be Christ- 
like, and to do whatever the Master would like to 
have them do. 

If in the apostolic church, as described in the New 
Testament, we have an example and model of unity, 
then this must be the basis and nature of the unity 
which we would seek in our day. 

The Christ said (John 12:32), "And I, if I be 
lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto my- 
self. " This would be unity in Christ. 

When Paul discussed this very subject in its rela- 
tion to the Church of God in Corinth (i Cor. 3:11) 
he said: "Other foundation can no man lay than 
that is laid, which is Jesus the Christ." Believers 
need more of the Christ in them in order to the unity 
desired by our Lord. More of the mind of Christ, 
more of the Holy Spirit dwelling in our hearts by 
faith, will promote the cause of unity far more 
satisfactorily than any of our addresses or resolu- 
tions. 

"Heaven is the abode of unity, and when the 
spirit of unity comes into a soul or into a church, it 



374 Reformation of the Nineteenth Century 

Cometh from above." "Discord is of the earth, or 
from beneath." The divisions of Christians show 
that there is still much carnality amongst them. 
The more carnal a Christian is, the more sectarian 
will he be; and the more spiritual he is, the more 
loving and forbearing and self-renouncing are you 
sure to find him. And it is with Christian communi- 
ties as with individual Christians. 

Happy church, where sectarianism shall first be 
swept away in an -inundation of love and joy, whose 
communion shall first break forth into the purest 
and holiest, and yet most comprehensive, of all com- 
munions — the communion of the Holy Ghost! Would 
to God that church were ours. 



The Period of Foreign Missions 



A. McIvBAN 



THE PERIOD OF FOREIGN 
MISSIONS. 



I. 

THE ORGANIZATION OF THE FOREIGN 
CHRISTIAN MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 

Two main reasons led to the organization of the 
Foreign Christian Missionary Society. The first 
was a desire to be loyal to Christ. He charged his 
disciples to go into all the world and preach the 
gospel to the whole creation. Those who have the 
truth are required to carry it far and near. As we 
took the Bible to be our only rule of faith and prac- 
tice we could not fail to be a missionary people. As 
we drank more deeply into the Spirit of Christ we 
felt irresistibly impelled to help him bear the gospel 
of his grace to every kindred and tribe and tongue 
and people on the globe. The founders of the 
society felt as did Peter and John when they said, 
"We cannot but speak what we saw and heard." 

It is well known that this was not the first attempt 
of our people to carry on Foreign Missions. More 
than a quarter of a century before, the American 
Christian Missionary Society was organized to pro- 
mote the preaching of the gospel in this and other 

(377) 



378 Reformation of the Nineteeitth Century 

lands. The world was its field. While looking 
after the w^ork at home, missions were opened in 
Asia, Africa and the West Indies. These were sus- 
tained for a time and then abandoned. At the 
twenty-fifth anniversary of that society the historian 
said, with a feeling of sadness, that in all the wide 
foreign field, destitute of the gospel, we do not have 
a single herald of the cross. Jerusalem and Jamaica 
were deserted; Liberia was forgotten. 

The abandonment of the work in the foreign field 
was the result of a marked decline of the mission- 
ary spirit, and not of impaired ability. About the 
time the American Society was organized, Mr. 
Campbell said: "We have abundant means if we 
had willing minds and liberal hearts. " A little later 
Isaac Errett spoke of our people as being "alarming- 
ly rich." The Civil War reduced some of the 
friends of the society to poverty, but there were 
many thousands whose wealth was greatly increased 
by the war. From the very first there were those 
who opposed the society. They assailed it in season 
and out of season. They opposed one plan because 
it was not a co-operation of the churches, and an- 
other plan because it was. They refused to be con- 
ciliated by any concessions. Because opposition 
abounded the love of many grew cold. Benjamin 
Franklin, while serving as secretary, tried hard to 
abate prejudice and opposition, and thought he had 
succeeded. He gave it as his conviction that we 
were destined to become a great missionary people 
at no distant period. His views were far too optim- 
istic. The opposition was much stronger than he 



The Period of Foreign Missions 379 

thought. President Pendleton told the convention 
in 1866 that, "instead of a steadily swelling treasury, 
our contributions have been less and less liberal; in- 
stead of establishing new missions, we have allowed 
some that were started with enthusiastic zeal to 
perish in our hands; instead of anticipating the new 
and expanding fields that have been opening upon 
us, and providing the means properly to enter them, 
we have slept upon our post till the opportunity has 
offered, and we are not ready to improve the provi- 
dence that calls us to rise up and possess the land. 
Advocates that were once eloquent have withdrawn 
their plea, friends that were liberal have ceased to 
contribute, members that came up to counsel have 
stayed away to chide, enthusiasm has been chilled, 
generosity has been discouraged and wisdom made 
despondent of her hopes." Ten years later the case 
was no better. The same careful writer used the 
following words: "A large number of people utter- 
ly ignore the idea of propagating the gospel. It is 
scarcely correct to say that they do not believe in 
the conversion of the world, for they have no 
thought or concern about it of any kind. Among 
the elders are many Gallios, who care for none of 
these things. The world may, for them, take care of 
itself. The}^ are not its keeper. The congrega- 
tion is a close corporation, if not offensive, practi- 
cally defensive, with prohibitive tariffs upon all 
foreign agencies of the kingdom, that they may 
keep the gospel at home and save the expense of a 
preacher." David S. Burnet was one of the most 
active of the managers and knew the facts as well 



380 Reformation of the Nineteenth Ce7ttury 

as any one else. He said that there was much dif- 
ference of sentiment in regard to the foreign mis- 
sionary enterprise. Some seemed to forget the 
aggressive character of our holy religion. They 
forget the word^6> in the commission; their mind is 
riveted upon tarry ye. 

The year the Foreign Society was organized, the 
Christian Standard said that many regarded the 
American Society as dead, and were eagerly and re- 
joicingly anticipating the funeral services. Their 
hopes were doomed to remain unrealized. There 
were those who did not cease to plead with all earn- 
estness for a great enlargement of the work at home 
and for a renewal of the efforts in foreign lands. 
They felt that the work in the regions beyond had 
been only temporarily suspended and not closed for- 
ever. Among the men of this class was the saintly 
Joseph King. At the convention of 1874 he re- 
ferred in an address to the humiliating fact that we 
were the only people who were not obeying the com- 
mission, ajid not even trying to obey it. His words 
provoked some angry discussion, but they were not 
spoken in vain. Another man to whom all our 
organized missionary work owes very much was 
Thomas Munnell. By tongue and pen he sought to 
prevail upon the brethren to do something to send 
the gospel to all the ends of the earth. The two 
men who were most influential at that juncture were 
Isaac Errett and W. T. Moore. Through the Chris- 
tian Standard and the Christian Quarterly they 
pressed the claims of Foreign Missions home to the 



The Period of Foreign Missions 3S1 

hearts and consciences of multitudes. Tlieir advo- 
cacy led to decisive action. 

The second reason for the organization of the 
Foreign Society was a desire to help the work at 
home. The annual report of the American Society 
for 1875 specially recommended to the brethren the 
work of Foreign Missions in some way, as a means 
of awakening the missionary spirit for the home as 
well as for the foreign field. "Our efforts at Home 
Missions, spending so large a percentage of all our 
money on the fields near where it was raised, has 
tended to contract the views of the churches as to 
the world-wide commission given to us by Jesus 
Christ himself. We are satisfied that a thriving 
foreign work will prove the best practical educator 
of our people in the missionary spirit, both at home 
and abroad. Let our hearts leap over barriers of 
district and neighborhood selfishness; let us put our 
hearts and our treasures in other lands, from which 
we may often hear of the horrors and hardships of 
heathen life, and of their great need of salvation 
through Christ, and we will more fully realize the 
spirit of the great Missionary, sent out from heaven 
to earth." The next report has the same sentiment: 
"Our past history, as well as the history of other 
religious bodies, proves that home work alone fails 
and is likely to fail in developing the true mission- 
ary spirit. One reason is that the spirit of the 
great commission is against it. The flow of true 
religious life is outward bound into all the world 
and to every creature. The report tells of a demand 
that our means be spent in our own country, in our 



382 Re/or?natio?i of the Nineteenth Ce?itury 

owu respective states, then the counties, until not a 
few are unwilling to let a dollar go out of their own 
vicinities — scarcely out of their sight. In the 
deep and well grounded conviction that Foreign 
Missions will not only meet this last wnll and testa- 
ment in Jesus Christ in other lands, but will be the 
directest route also to success in our home work, we 
suggest that this convention urge the brethren gen- 
erally to do, not less for home, but more abroad." 

After thirty years of study, Isaac Errett said that 
he had a profound and unfaltering conviction that 
we, as a people, will never reach the culture in 
faith, in self-denial and in godliness that we need 
and are capable of, and will never occupy the posi- 
tion before the religious w^orld which, so far as our 
principles are concerned, w^e are entitled to occupy, 
until we give ourselves heartily and permanently to 
missionary work in. the broadest sense of that 
phrase, until our hearts and homes and pulpits and 
presses are all aflame wath zeal for the spread of 
the gospel in all the earth, until the ancient order 
of things is reproduced in that supreme consecration 
to God which not only spends money freely, but 
offers life freely and welcomes toil, privations, perse- 
cutions, imprisonment, aye and martyrdom, if only 
Christ be preached and the gates of salvation be 
thrown open to all the world. "We never did so 
much to plant the gospel in destitute home regions 
as during the years that w^e sustained those Foreign 
Missions. The records show that these years were 
years of unparalleled success in raising money and 
of unparalleled prosperity in Home Mission w^ork. 



The Period of Foreign Missions 383 

In an evil hour, under the pressure of adversities to 
which our faith was not equals we abandoned our 
Foreign Missions, and from that day to this we have 
been smitten with confusion and cursed with barren- 
ness in our home work. All our painstaking, 
laborious efforts to unite our brethren in any scheme 
for the evangelization of our home fields have been 
confounded." He states that some of the strongest 
states that complained most loudly over the folly of 
wasting money in Foreign Missions that is so much 
needed at home, reported less than one thousand dol- 
lars for missionary work within their own borders. 
He had no reason to believe that God would ever 
lift the curse away from us that has brought blight 
and desolation everywhere to our missionary enter- 
prises until we repented of our folly and began anew 
to act a part worthy of us under the great commis- 
sion. He maintained that it was not true that if we 
do nothing abroad we shall do more at home; for, in 
refusing to do anything abroad we paralyze our 
faith, we dwarf our sympathies, we blunt our con- 
sciences, we enervate our impulses, we gratify our 
selfishness and we have less faith, less sympathy, 
less conscience, less heroism, less benevolence to 
draw upon for the home work. We bring to it a 
weakened moral nature and a strengthened selfish- 
ness, and the work in the home field is lessened. 
Forever and forever is it true that there is that scat- 
tereth and yet increaseth, and there is that with- 
holdeth more than is meet and it tendeth to poverty. 
Mr. Errett was a friend of Foreign Missions because 
he was a friend of Home Missions. Among the 



384 Reformation of the Nineteeiith Ce?itit7y 

friends of missions it seemed as self-evident as a 
primary truth, that no people have ever been blessed 
in their home enterprises without a foreign mission- 
ary spirit and work. 

A minor consideration, but one that was not with- 
out weight, was that of self-respect. When relig- 
ious friends asked where our foreign missionaries 
were located, it was not easy to give a satisfactory^ 
answer. When they inquired what we did more 
than others since we claimed to have the truth and 
to be guided solely by it, w^e could make no effective 
reply. Our self-respect compelled us to do some- 
thing worthy of the great plea which we make 
towards the evangelization of the whole wide 
w^orld. 

The birth of the Foreign Society was on this wise: 
During the convention of 1874 several meetings 
were held in the interest of Foreign Missions. 
Owing to the lack of time the discussions did not 
reach any satisfactory conclusion. A special com- 
mittee was appointed to take the whole matter into 
consideration. Of that committee W. T. Moore 
was chairman. At a meeting of that committee the 
following summer in Indianapolis, the subject was 
further canvassed and a constitution was drafted. 
The committee reported at the Louisville conven- 
tion in October, 1875. The friends of the enterprise 
met in the basement of the First Church. There 
were present on that occasion: Isaac Errett, B. B. 
Tyler, Thomas Munnell, W\ T. Moore, F. M. 
Green, J. B. Bowman, J. C. Reynolds, Robert 
Moffett, A. I. Hobbs, J. S. Lamar, R. M. Bishop, W. 



The Period of Foj eign Missions 385 

S. Dickinson, C. S. Blackwell, Leander Lane, John 
Shackleford, J. H. Garrison, J. T. Toof, W. F. Black 
and David Walk. W. T. Moore presided and B. B. 
Tyler acted as clerk. Isaac Krrett stated the object 
of the meeting and gave some reasons why an earn- 
est and persistent effort should be made in behalf of 
Foreign Missions. He said it was a time for prayer 
rather than for talk. If the undertaking was to suc- 
ceed it must be born in the spirit of prayer and con- 
secration to God. J. H. Garrison relates that as he 
talked in his own tender way about the dying love 
of Jesus, his heart became too full for articulation 
and many eyes swam in tears. There was a con- 
sciousness of God's presence, a conviction that what 
was being done was in line with the divine purpose. 
It was decided with unanimity that a society be 
organized to preach the gospel in foreign lands. 
The constitution which had been prepared in In- 
dianapolis was adopted. At an adjourned meeting 
officers were elected as follows: President, Isaac 
Errett; vice-presidents, W. T. Moore, Jacob Burnet, 
J. S. Lamar; corresponding secretary, Robert 
Moffett; recording secretary, B. B. Tyler; treasurer, 
W. S. Dickinson. The first address was delivered 
the same evening by W. T. Moore. In it he re- 
ferred to what had been attempted in earlier years: 
*'You say we have tried Foreign Missions and failed. 
I beg pardon, but I really do not think we tried very 
much. True, we sent a faithful missionary to Jeru- 
salem and also one to Jamaica, but did we sustain 
them there? While we were discussing the pro- 
priety of having a missionary society with a mon- 
25 



386 Reformation of the Nhteteenth Century 

eyed basis, our missionaries were starved out and 
had to leave their work, which had only been fairly 
started, and come home. This is precisely the way 
we have tried the foreign missionary work." In 
this noble and inspiring address the speaker outlined 
what he conceived to be the work of the society and 
the principles by which it should be characterized. 

The Foreign Society was organized because the 
American Society could not do foreign missionary 
work. From the first the two societies have worked 
together in perfect harmony. The new society was 
on a somewhat different basis from the old. In the 
new the people who furnished the money directed how 
the money should be used. The managers were de- 
termined not to waste any time or strength in con- 
troversy as to plans and methods. They were not 
wedded to any special plan, nor had they any quar- 
rel with those who preferred some other way of 
working. What they wanted was work done, and 
they were not disposed to stand on the order of 
doing it, provided the order was not incompatible 
with the will of God. If better plans should be 
proposed, they held themselves in readiness to adopt 
them promptly and gratefully. But they and the 
brethren generally were thoroughly weary of vain 
jangling about plans, while nothing was being done 
and w^hile no better plans were even proposed. 
There is no use in arguing against success. To all 
objections urged the Foreign Society has pointed to 
its work, and then without argument has endeav- 
ored to do the next thing that needed doing. 

The society began its work in a modest way. It 



The Period of Foreign Missions 387 

was born, as lias been shown, in a basement. Other 
great movements began in an upper room, or in a 
stable, or behind a haystack. The managers did 
not expect to appeal to any large constituency. The 
society was ten years old before it had a secretary 
giving his whole time to its interests. W. T. Moore 
served for two years without any compensation. A 
nominal sum was paid a competent bookkeeper. 
W. B. Kbbert served for. four years as corresponding 
secretary. He had other sources of income and re- 
ceived pay only for the portion of time given to the 
society. When he resigned, the first act of the ex- 
ecutive committee was to resolve that his successor 
be paid only five hundred dollars a year. It was not 
till 1885 that the society had an office of its own. 
Up to that time the committee met in the store- 
room of the Standard Publishing Company. Boxes 
and windows served as chairs. The recording sec- 
retary used his knee as a desk. The corresponding 
secretary did his work at his own home. No rent 
was paid. Circulars were printed on a hectograph. 
The policy was conservative. The committee did 
not care to venture beyond "the cash on hand and 
in the bank." The income for the first year was 
$1,706.35. It was according to the faith and enter- 
prise of the managers of the society. 



n. 

THE FIRST MISSIONS. 

The Foreign Society was organized to preach the 
gospel where Christ was not already named, that it 
might not build upon other men's foundations. 
Nevertheless, the first work was done in Europe. 
For seven years no worker was sent to any heathen 
field. This was owing, in part, to the fact that 
there were no volunteers for service in the regions 
beyond. Within a month after the society was or- 
ganized, Enos Campbell was asked to go to Japan. 
Calvin S. Blackwell, who had offered himself for 
any field where his services might be needed, was 
told to hold himself in readiness to accompany Mr. 
Campbell to Japan. When the time came, neither 
was willing to go. J. H. Hardin offered to go to 
India. His family physician informed him that the 
health of his children required him to remain in 
America. At that time there was little zeal for mis- 
sions in the churches, and none at all in the colleges. 
The Student Volunteer Movement had not been 
born. Young men of culture and ability gave their 
lives to work in other fields. Good men offered to 
labor in Europe; the society had to accept their 
services or none. It was owing, also, in part, to the 
fact that Timothy Coop, a wealthy and philanthropic 
Englishman, appeared on the scene and promised to 
contribute handsomely to the support of work in his 

own country. He offered to give $10,000 provided 

(388) 



The Period of Foreign Missions 389 

the churches in the United States gave an equal 
amount. A little later he promised $5,000 if three 
new men were sent to England. It was felt at the 
time that his offer contemplated a departure or a 
deflection from the original purpose of the society. 
It was no part of the plan of the society to do mis- 
sionary work in England. Still, as the greater 
portion of the expense was borne by Mr. Coop, it 
was decided to accept his offer. 

The first work done by a representative of the so- 
ciety was done in Southampton, England. Henry 
S. Earl was going to that city at his own charges in 
any event. It was thought by him and by others 
that it would be well for him to go in connection 
with the society. He was promised no definite sup- 
port. For a time he received only a nominal sum. 
The society gradually increased its grant to him till 
it paid him a full salary. In three years he spent 
$5,000 of his own funds in establishing a church in 
Southampton. His preaching captured the city. 
He reported that many captains, ship officers and 
crews of ships from India, China, Japan, Africa, the 
West Indies, France, Italy, Spain, Norway and 
America, when in port, attended the services, and 
thus the truth was spread abroad and, no doubt, in 
many cases bore fruit after many days. Mr. Earl's 
services began in February, 1876. M. D. Todd be- 
gan a work in Chester in 1878. The same year W. 
T, Moore went to Southport. Henry Exley went to 
Tranmere in 1879. His expenses were born by a 
brother living in Mollington. The annual report for 
1879 stated that the English mission had been 



390 Reformation of the Nineteenth Century 

planted to focalize, not to monopolize onr energies. 
It was believed that, having been sustained by the 
society from one to four years, that mission should 
and soon would be self-sustaining. "While we 
appreciate highly the advantages of the fields now 
occupied and favor a most tenacious hold on them, 
we deem it just and proper to urge upon our evan- 
gelists in England to give attention, as they have not 
yet done, to providing a support for their labors at 
home, so that being rapidly relieved of our obliga- 
tions toward them, we may the more promptly and 
extensively devote our means, according to our orig- 
inal purpose, to the needy fields of Africa and Asia." 
The officers of the society felt that the time had 
come when we ought to have missionaries along the 
course of the Nile and in the crowded cities and vil- 
lages of China and Japan. 

While this was the feeling of the society the force 
in England was steadily increased. Thus, when W. 
T. Moore left Southport for lyiverpool, J. ly. Rich- 
ardson was sent to fill the vacancy. M. D. Todd 
took the work in lyiverpool, W. T. Moore having 
gone to London. J. M. Van Horn was sent to 
Chester to take the place made vacant by the trans- 
fer of Mr. Todd to Liverpool. The following have 
been employed since: A. Martin, to work in Birken- 
head; W. H. C. Newington, to labor in Liverpool; B. 
H. Hayden, for Ingleton and Bishopsfield; A. J. L. 
Glidden, for Cheltenham; W. Durban, for Fulham; 
George Brooks, for Brixton; Samuel McBride, as 
general evangelist; T. R. Hodkinson, for Rother- 
hithe; J. E. Powell, for Southampton, H. S. Earl 



The Period of Foreign Missions 391 

having gone from that point first to Cheltenham and 
afterward to Liverpool; F. W. Troy, first for Chel- 
tenham and then Gloucester, and last for Liverpool, 
H. S. Karl having returned home; J. J. Haley, for 
Birkenhead, J. M. Van Horn having resigned to 
come to America; T. S. Buckingham for Chelten- 
ham. On the resignation of Mr. Buckingham, E. 
H. Spring and W. K. Hogg were employed to take 
the work at Cheltenham and Gloucester. In the 
year 1892 George T. Walden, of Melbourne, Austra- 
lia, succeeded W. T. Moore at the West London Tab- 
ernacle, Mr. Moore having resigned to give his 
entire time to the Christian Commonwealth. The 
next year J. K. Powell left Southampton for Amer- 
ica. Later on, Bli Brearley succeeded W. B. Hogg 
at Cheltenham, and afterwards took charge at Birken- 
head when J. J. Haley resigned. The increase in 
the force in England was owing chiefly to the ap- 
peals and to the generosity of Timothy Coop and 
his two sons. They contributed largely to the so- 
ciety directly, and still more largely indirectly. It 
was their desire that the society should select the 
men and direct their labors. In a conference with 
Mr. Coop in 1884 he stated that the property owned 
by the society in England was worth $83,000, and 
that that was more than the society had spent in Eng- 
land up to that time. The work having been begun 
it could not be abandoned. It had to be vigorously 
prosecuted. kX. the p resent time work is carried on 
at fifteen different points. The w^orkers are now as 
follows: W. Durban, Hornsey- Eli Brearley, Tasso; 
E. M. Todd, West London Tabernacle; George 



y 



392 Reformation of the Nineteenth Century 

Rapkin, Birkenhead; M. A. Collins, Chester; J. H. 
Bicknell, Iviverpool; Alfred Johnson, Southport; T. 
H. Bates, Cheltenham; Daniel Scott, Ingleton; L. 
W. Morgan, Southampton; B. H. Spring, Gloucester; 
J. H. Versey, Lancaster, and J. W. Travis, Margate. 
The membership is 2,412. The men sent to England 
and the men employed there have labored faithfully. 
They did what they could. The expectation that the 
churches planted would be self-supporting in four 
years has not been realized. Of those sent to Eng- 
land, J. ly. Richardson and M. D. Todd and Mary 
Bishop Moore have gone to their long home. Since 
1893 the work in England has been managed by 
an English committee. The society makes an 
annual grant and the English committee distrib- 
utes it. 

The Danish Mission was opened in June, 1876. 
Dr. Hoick, the pioneer, was born and educated in 
Jutland. He came to America and practiced medi- 
cine in Cincinnati. After uniting with the Central 
Christian Church, he asked to be sent to Denmark 
as a missionary. The committee recognized in him 
a man of great faith, earnest piety and one endowed 
with superior intellectual attainments, and appointed 
him. He gave up a growing and lucrative practice 
and went. He found many difficulties in the way. 
The chief among these was the want of faith on the 
part of the people in the Word of God. He found 
that the plea for "the Bible and the Bible alone" 
was about the most difficult that could be made, since 
the people seemed to be willing to accept almost 
any other kind of religion rather than that taught 



The Period of Foreign Missions 393 

in the Scriptures. Dr. Hoick has done a good work 
in Copenhagen. The congregation numbers nearly 
two hundred. The building there cost $22,000, and 
is worth more than it cost. It is the best Dissenting 
house of worship in the city. It is well located and 
arranged. Dr. Hoick has also done a fine work in 
Norway. There are in Norway twenty congrega- 
tions. Ten of these have their own houses. These 
are neither large nor splendid, but they are comforta- 
ble and convenient. Julius Cramer preaches in 
Frederickshald. He was born in Schleswig. He 
took the English Bible course in Drake University 
and returned to preach the gospel to his kindred and 
countrymen. H. W. Pease has recently gone to 
Norway to assist in the work. He lives in Chris- 
tiania. A little over a year ago a church was 
organized at Malmo, Sweden. I^ater on a second 
church was organized in Ramlosa, I. P. L<illien- 
stein preaches for both. In 1885 O. C. Mikkelsen 
was sent from this country to aid in the mission. 
Mr. Mikkelsen is a Dane. He attended Oskaloosa 
College for two terms, and the College of the Bible 
for two years. He has charge of the Second Church 
in Copenhagen. For two years R. P. Anderson 
has been the minister in charge of the First Church 
in Copenhagen. In Scandinavia there are about 
1,200 church members in all. Their great need 
is competent men to preach to them. They 
have five evangelists; they need men of culture and 
consecration, who can serve them acceptably as 
settled ministers. For ten years Dr. Hoick has re- 
<:eived no salary. Not only so, but he gives no less 



394 Reformation of the Nineteenth Century 

than |i,ooo a year to assist the mission. He is of 
the opinion that with |io,ooo a year he could 
take all Scandinavia for New Testament Chris- 
tianity. 

A mission was opeiied in Paris, France, in Feb- 
ruary, 1878. Jules Delaunay and wife were the 
founders. Monsieur Delaunay was a Parisian by 
birth. He was educated for the priesthood of the 
Roman Catholic Church. He spent several years in 
study in Rome, giving particular attention to the 
catacombs. Renouncing Catholicism, he came to 
America. He was baptized by a Baptist minister 
near Providence, R. I. Subsequently he moved to 
Cincinnati. While there he united with the Central 
Christian Church. Madame Delaunay was an Eng- 
lish woman and belonged at one time to the Church 
of England. She united with the Central Christian 
Church at the same time as her husband. They 
volunteered for a mission to France. The society 
did not ask them to go. They said, "Send us, and 
by the grace of God we will carry the primitive 
gospel to the perishing millions of France. ' ' The 
committee became deeply interested in the proposed 
mission; they thought they saw in their offer a provi- 
dential opening for a grand work. They knew that 
France was just then passing through a transition 
state, both politically and religiously, and they 
knew, furthermore, that such a time was highly pro- 
pitious for the introduction of our plea. Monsieur 
and Madame Delaunay made a tour through several 
states in the interests of the new mission. In some 
churches they were received with enthusiasm, in 



The Period of Foreign Missions 395 

others with indifference, and in others still with ex- 
treme coldness. The most the society could promise 
them was I300 in cash and whatever might be sent 
to the treasury especially for the French mission. 
It was not believed that these terms would be ac- 
cepted. They were promptly and gladly accepted, 
and the missionaries were soon on their way to 
Paris. A hall was rented and public preaching be- 
gan. In 1880 Miss Annie C. Crease was engaged to 
teach a school. The Christian Woman's Board of 
Missions paid her salary. E. Roque was employed 
for a season, but his services not being satisfactory 
he was dismissed. In 1886 the society resolved to 
discontinue the French mission on the ground that 
it could not be made a sticcess, because of existing 
obstacles, without incurring more expense than the 
society could meet. Jules Delaunay was a good 
man, but a poor financier. No matter how much 
was paid him he was always in debt. The commit- 
tee searched for 3^ears for a suitable man to be 
associated with him; the search was in vain. The 
society decided to abandon the field. 

In November, 1878, J. W. McGarvey called 
attention to the Turkish field and to a man who 
would faithfully and willingly occupy it. In com- 
pany with several leading men in Kentucky Pro- 
fessor McGarvey issued a call to those who desired 
the promotion of the gospel, and who honored the 
name of the I^ord Jesus Christ, especially those of 
his own state, to send money and pledges to the 
treasurer of the Foreign Society to insure the support 
of G. N. Shishmanian for a term of five years. 



39^ Reformation of the Nineteenth Ce^ttury 

Subsequently Mr. Shishmanian made a brief tour 
through portions of Kentucky, Illinois, Indiana, 
Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York, and spoke of 
the providential openings in Constantinople, and 
excited deep interest in his struggling, worthy and 
beloved kinsmen. Mr. Shishmanian was born in 
Asia Minor of Armenian parents. He took a course 
of study in Dr. Hamlin's Academy on the Bosporus. 
After spending some time in Egypt as an interpreter 
he came to America. He united with the Disciples 
of Christ in Dallas, Texas. Soon after he entered 
the College of the Bible to prepare for the ministry. 
Mrs. Shishmanian was born in Ivcxington, Ken- 
tucky. Because of the growing interest in the pro- 
posed Turkish mission and because of the funds that 
reached the treasury in answer to the appeal made 
on its behalf, Mr. and Mrs. Shishmanian were ap- 
pointed missionaries to Constantinople. They 
reached that city in the year 1879. '^^^ gospel was 
preached publicly and from house to house. Schools 
were opened and children taught. Tracts were 
written and carried far and near. The converts 
are scattered throughout the empire. Work is 
carried on in connection with Constantinople at 
the following places: Bardezag, Giol Dahl, Sevas, 
Zara, Antioch, Biridjek and Aleppo. Four un- 
ordained men are engaged as evangelists. There 
are two male and three female teachers. In the 
seventeen organized churches there are 434 mem- 
bers. In the day schools there are 567 boys and 79 
girls. Mr. Shishmanian has evangelized as far east 



The Period of Foreigji Missions 397 

as Bitlis on the Lake of Van. He has traveled ex- 
tensively throughout the empire. 

In the year 1884 ^^- Garabed Kevorkian was sent 
to Tocat. In addition to his work at that point he 
superintends the stations at Haji Keni, Capou Kara, 
Marsivan, Checharshambeh and Aza Bajhee. In his 
evangelistic tours he has been in perils from robbers 
more than once. His labors have been seriously 
hindered by the civil authorities. One governor 
has been his steadfast friend from the first, and has 
done much to encourage and assist him. I^ater on 
Hohannes Karagiozian was sent to Marash, in Cili- 
cia. He labored at that and some other points in 
that part of Turkey in Asia. He has not been con- 
nected with the society for several years. The 
Isaac Brrett Memorial Chapel was erected in Smyrna. 
Mr. and Mrs. John Johnson have been at Avork there 
for two years. Two years agoMr. and Mrs. A. I^. 
Chapman were sent to Constantinople to be asso- 
ciated with Mr. and Mrs. Shishmanian. Thus far 
they have been giving most of their time to the 
study of the language. Mr. Chapman has conducted 
one service in English each week. He has preached 
and taught a Bible class through an interpreter. 
He is now able to speak to the people in their own 
language. Since Mr. Shishmanian's removal to 
Sevas, Mr. Chapman has charge of the work in 
Contantinople. Mrs. Chapman teaches the school. 
She is preparing to start a kindergarten. The con- 
versions in Turkey from the beginning number over 
1,000. Of the missionaries in this field General 
Wallace said, "Thev are men who live and die in their 



398 Reformation of the Nineteenth Centiuy 

work ; it is a work of the kind that is productive of 
the greatest good." 

The year the society was organized J. S. lyamar 
was invited to go to Italy, but declined. An un- 
known friend offered five thousand dollars for a Ger- 
man mission in case the society would raise four 
thousand. Charles lyouis Loos was invited to go to 
Germany; for sufficient reasons he could not accept 
the invitation. Urgent calls came from England, 
Scotland, Wales and Ireland. The following were 
urged to go to England: B. B. Tyler, Alanson Wil- 
cox, O. A. Burgess, Thomas Munnell and Enos 
Campbell. W. H. Hopson was invited to go to 
Scotland. Francisco de Capdevilla was appointed 
to labor in Mexico. All he asked was for sufficient 
funds to pay his passage to the city of Acapulco, on 
the Pacific Coast. He believed that he could by 
teaching not only lay a broad and firm foundation 
for his future progress, but also immediately provide 
for himself the necessaries of life and sustain the 
preaching of the gospel. Unfortunately, it soon 
appeared that he had not adequately measured the 
extent and violence of the opposition to the preach- 
ing of the gospel in Acapulco, or the difficulty of a 
stranger to obtain a self-supporting school there. 
Notwithstanding, seven baptisms soon followed and 
he obtained for awhile a tolerant attitude by teach- 
ing the English language and some other branches 
not elsewhere taught there, but being greatly dis- 
appointed in his purpose, and assured of the society's 
inability to furnish him even a ^partial support, he 
resigned his labors. 



The Period of Foreign Missions 399 

Through these years there was much dissatisfac- 
tion that no work was begun on heathen soil. It 
was felt by many that Timothy Coop and W. T. 
Moore had side-tracked the society, so to speak. 
Their appeals for the work in Eugland were numer- 
ous and importunate. On this account the commit- 
tee on new missions, in the convention of 1881, 
thought it necessary to set forth the true aim and 
work of the society. The substance of their report 
is as follows: We think it very important that correct 
and right ideas as to the true nature, character and 
limitations of foreign missionary work be stated, 
entertained and adhered to in the prosecution of the 
work. What is that idea? With what end in view, 
and for what purpose, should foreign missionary so- 
cieties be established and sustained? Not to change 
one believer from one Protestant faith to another, 
but to Christianize the heathen; to make known the 
Christ in his saving power to those who have never 
heard of him, and to whom he has not been 
preached. It is to plant congregations of Christian 
believers in lands distinctively and admittedly pagan, 
idolatrous and heathen, and our work is foreign in 
the true sense only in so far as we keep this promise 
in view and labor for its realization. Our great 
King says, "Go ye and disciple all nations." The 
"nations" meant then, as the word means now, the 
great unevangelized heathen world ; the pagan races, 
one and all. The church's mission is the proclama- 
tion of the gospel "to every creature," preach 
the gospel in the regions beyond; make known the 
Son of God as the only Redeemer of the world, and 



400 Reformation of the Nineteenth Century 

in the greatness of his salvation to those who sit in 
darkness and in the region and shadow of death. It 
is something, indeed, and it is well, to lead to a 
clearer knowledge of the truth as it is in Jesus, 
those already instructed to some extent, and evan- 
gelized and committed to the Christ; but it is not 
strictly foreign missionary work, and should not be 
so termed. 

The committee continued: "The work we are 
doing, most of it, at least, is not strictly foreign 
missionary work; it is not done for the Christianiza- 
tion of the heathen; its end is not the salvation of 
men and women from idolatry with all its abomina- 
tions. It is largely changing people from one 
Protestant faith to another; not attacking the strong- 
holds of Satan in heathen and idolatrous countries, 
which is the one object for which foreign missionary 
societies exist. We seem not to have had hitherto 
the true idea of foreign work, or, if we had, to have 
departed from it largely in practice. England gives 
more money every year for the support of Foreign 
Missions than any other country on the globe. 
Millions of money go out of the pockets of wealthy 
Englishmen annually into the treasuries for the pro- 
pagation of the gospel in foreign lands. To her 
credit be this spoken. Yet we, with but a few 
thousand dollars for the maintenance each year of 
foreign missionary work, give the greater part of 
that to support men in England. How absurd! 
Sending men to England to preach the gospel is no 
more foreign missionary work than would be the 



The Period of Foreign Missiojis 401 

sending of men to Boston, or Providence, or San 

Francisco." 

The day so long and so eagerly looked for was at 

hand. 
26 



III. 

INDIA. 

The year 1882 marked an epoch in the history of 
the Foreign Society. That year work was begun 
on heathen soil. For some years money kept coming 
into the treasury for this special purpose. Much of 
it came from the children. As J H. Garrison, the 
editor of the Christian-Evangelist . was preparing to 
leave for the convention held in lyouisville, in 1880, 
his little boys told him they wanted to send some 
money with him for missions. They handed him 
the savings of many weeks and said, "We want this 
to go to send the gospel to children who have never 
heard the name of Jesus." On hearing this inci- 
dent the convention decided to ask the Sunday- 
schools for one offering each year for heathen mis- 
sions. That was the origin of Children's Day. As 
we had then no one at work in any part of the 
heathen world, the offerings of the children were 
invested for some time. 

When the problem of money was soivea, the next 
thing was to find men to go. The society did not 
have long to seek. Albert Norton had spent some 
years in India as a missionary. After uniting with 
our people, he wrote to the society with reference to 
his possible return to that field under the direction 
of the executive committee. He was highly rec- 
ommended by those who knew him. In order to 

test his ability and to become better acquainted with 

(402) 



The Period of Foreign Missions 403 

"him, he was engaged for two months to solicit funds. 
The time was subsequently extended. He visited 
many churches and spoke with great fervor and 
power on the theme so near his heart. He secured 
considerable in cash and pledges. On the 4th of 
February, 1882, the committee decided to send Mr. 
and Mrs. Albert Norton and Mr. and Mrs. G. L. 
Wharton to India as missionaries. Mr. Wharton 
was well known as a rising young preacher. He 
was a graduate of Bethany College and, at the time 
of his appointment, was in charge of the Richmond 
Avenue Church in Buffalo. Mrs. Wharton was a 
daughter of the sainted Robert Richardson, the 
friend and biographer of Alexander Campbell. 
These men and women were believed to be full of 
the Holy Spirit and of faith. They were ready and 
eager to go. They asked no stipulated salary. 
They were willing to go trusting in God and in their 
brethren. The Christian Woman's Board of Mis- 
sions sent four ladies with them to serve as teachers 
and Bible women. On the i6th of September, 1882, 
this little band, eight in all, sailed from New York 
for Bombay. They reached their destination in 
October. At once they began the study of the lan- 
guage and the people. Mr. Norton did not continue 
long with the society. He resigned because of some 
scruples of conscience over receiving any stated 
amount for his support. His resignation caused 
some disappointment. At the same time it should be 
borne in mind that his services had been exceeding- 
ly valuable. He did what few other men could have 
done. He aroused thousands who were asleep. He 



404 Reformation of the Nineteenth Century 

convinced the committee and many churcnes and 
individuals that a mission could be planted in India. 
He started the work. 

The convention of that year stated that the action 
of the executive committee deserved the fullest ap- 
proval of the society and its grateful thanks. The 
convention recognized in the starting of this mis- 
sion the evident guidance of Providence and the in- 
dication of the divine purpose that called for grate- 
ful acknowledgment and prompt and generous sup- 
port. It seemed plain that the Holy Spirit was 
opening up to us access to all nations and inviting 
us to enter. The convention rejoiced that the com- 
mittee was so prompt to venture upon this great 
field, and that their faith in the support of the 
lyord's people in this work had not faltered. It was 
recommended that other fields be entered, princi- 
pally Japan and China. The hope was expressed 
that the next convention would be greeted with the 
report that both these fields had been occupied, and 
that the eyes of all might be turned hopefully upon 
still wider prospects of gospel victories in the Orient. 
The enthusiasm and joy of that convention were 
unprecedented. The reproach of having no mis- 
sionaries in any part of the heathen world was 
rolled away. The treasurer's report showed that the 
receipts for the year were double that of any pre- 
vious year. The marked increase in the receipts 
was significant. It indicated that the people were 
ready to enter the regions beyond and to support 
the workers that might be sent there. 

The work began in the Central Provinces. These 



The Period of Foreign Missions 405 

provinces have an area of 116,000 square miles, 
and a population numbering 15,000,000. The field 
chosen was both large and needy. The first station 
was opened in Harda. This town is 417 miles east 
from Bombay, and is a large wheat market. The 
society owns in Harda three bungalows, a building 
that is used for a school for boys and a chapel, an- 
other building for a school for girls, a hospital and 
dispensary, and a leper asylum. The seven build- 
ings that constitute the leper asylum were built in 
the time of famine and did not cost the society any- 
thing. The present staff consists of Dr. and Mrs. 
Drummond, Mr. and Mrs. G. W. Coffman, Miss Mary 
Thompson, Miss Mildred Franklin, Mr. and Mrs. G. 
W. Brown, and the native assistants. Mr. Wharton 
has charge of the church. Dr. Drummond has 
charge of the medical department. Dr. Drum- 
mond is a graduate of Cotner University. He took 
some special courses in the Postgraduate Medical 
College in New York to better qualify him for 
service in India. Last year the patients in Harda 
numbered 12,216. Mr. Coffman teaches the boys' 
school and preaches for the church. He is a graduate 
of Drake University. Miss Franklin teaches the 
girls. In India boys and girls are not permitted to 
recite in the same classes or to attend school in the 
same building. This will account for these separate 
establishments. Miss Mary Thompson gives her 
time and strength to the women in their homes. 
She reads and explains the Scriptures and teaches 
them Christian hymns and urges them to accept 
Jesus the Christ as their Saviour and Lord. In 



4o6 Refo7n7iation of the Nineteenth Ce7ttury 

the cold season she goes twice a week to the villages 
near Harda. On these trips she is accompanied 
by a Bible woman. On Sundays she has a school 
for boys. She has another class on that day for 
the beggars. Every day she has religious exercises 
with the servants and helpers. She is constantly 
called upon by the women among whom she 
labors for simple remedies for diseases. The 
women of India are timid and prefer, in time of 
trouble, to appeal for aid to one of their own sex 
rather than to a male physician, no matter how ac- 
complished and gentle he may be. Miss Thompson 
was sent to India by the churches in Melbourne, 
Australia. They have supported her for six years. 
Mr. and Mrs. Brown went out last September. 
While studying the language Mr. Brown preaches 
for the English-speaking church and assists in the 
schools. There are six hundred towns and vil- 
lages tributary to Harda. The missionaries evan- 
gelize these as they are able. One winter two 
ladies took a bullock cart and tent and some helpers 
and werit out to do village work. In two months 
•they visited and spoke in ninety different places. 
They addressed about five thousand people. The 
most of these had never heard the name of Jesus 
before. 

In Charwa and Rahatgaon and Timarni work is 
carried on regularly. These are out-stations, and 
are ministered to by trained helpers. Nathoo Lai 
preaches in Charwa and forty-two other villages. 
The church in Charwa has twenty-seven members. 
The members live in four villages. A Sunday-school 



The Period of Foreign Missions 407 

is taught and the gospel is preached there every 
week. In Rahatgaon there is a house for the evan- 
gelist and a school building. Timarni has a dwell- 
ing and a hospital. Dr. John Panna has charge of 
the medical work at both points. His patients num- 
ber over two thousand in a year. M. J. Shah is the 
evangelist in charge. In the two Sunday-schools 
there are about seventy pupils enrolled. The out- 
look is bright and full of promise. Sampson Powar 
is a valuable assistant in the work in Harda. He 
treats both the in-patients and the out-patients daily. 
He teaches them the Scriptures and has them com- 
mit portions to memory. Gopal gives the lepers in- 
struction daily in the Bible. They seem happy and 
contented. A Sunday-school is taught among the 
sweepers, one of the lowest castes in all India. 

Dr. and Mrs. C. S. Durand spent seven years in 
Harda. They went from the region about Sedalia, 
Mo. Before sailing for India both spent a full year 
in the medical colleges and hospitals of New York. 
The hospital was built by Dr. Durand. The land 
on which it stands was given to the mission by an 
influential Hindu as a token of his appreciation of 
the work done there. Mrs. Ellen Iv. Jackson has 
been connected with the work in Harda for the 
years. She went out from the West London Taber- 
nacle and from the training class taught by W. T. 
Moore. She had charge of the work among the 
boys till her health failed. She lives in Harda and 
gives her influence and her assistance to the church 
and to the temperance society and to other good 
causes. Miss Sue A. Robinson and Miss Hattie ly. 



4o8 Reformation of the Nineteenth Centnry 

Judson died and are buried in Harda. Miss Robin- 
son went out from St. I^ouis. She served for five 
years. She spent most of the summers on the 
plains. Had she been less heroic she might be liv- 
ing now. She sleeps in the little cemetery at the 
edge of the town. She is waiting for the day to 
dawn and for the shadows to flee away. The women 
of Louisville raised six hundred dollars to build a 
Memorial School to perpetuate the name and worth 
of this noble worker. She had lived and labored 
for some years in Louisville before going to St. 
Louis. The city fathers gave the ground on which 
the school has been built. Miss Judson went out 
from Danbury, Conn. She was a most earnest and 
efficient worker in that church. In the famine she 
went to Mahoba to nurse the sick and to feed the 
starving. While there she took typhoid fever, from 
which she died. She fell as a martyr to her 
devotion. 

When the last annual report was written there 
were 89 members in the church at Harda, 433 pupils 
enrolled in the fourteen Sunday-schools, 163 in the 
day schools, 4 native evangelists and 17 native help- 
ers and teachers. 

The next year Mr. and Mrs. Adams were sent out 
to take the place that had been left vacant by the 
Nortons. Mr. Adams was born and educated in 
Vincennes, Ind. At the time of his appointment he 
was serving the church in Steubenville, Ohio. It 
was thought advisable for them to settle in Bilaspur, 
a town 503 miles east from Calcutta. There are 
1,500,000 souls in the Bilaspur district. Mr. Adams 



The Period of Foreign Missions 409 

has tlie oversight of all the work at that station. 
He gives his strength to the work of preaching in 
the church and in the villages. He is assisted by. 
three evangelists. He superintends the boys' Sun- 
day-schools. The average attendance in the day 
school is 86; the total enrollment in the Sunday- 
school is 232. The boys in the day school are Hin- 
dus, Mohammedans and Christians. Mrs. Adams 
keeps house, has charge of the bookshop, visits the 
women in their quarters and renders efficient aid 
in day and Sunday-schools. I^ike the other married 
women Mrs. Adams has made a home. This is one 
of the best of all evang^elizino^ asfencies. Outside of 
Christendom there is no such institution as a home. 
There are harems and seraglios; there are buildings 
w^here men, women and children live; but these 
places are not homes. Only where the gospel has 
gone is a home possible. Mrs. Adams teaches the 
boys to sing. She conducts a Bible class for Chris- 
tian men and teaches in the Sunday-school. The 
Christian Woman's Board of Missions is carrying on 
educational and medical work in Bilaspur. On this 
account the Foreign Society has no work among the 
girls and has no hospital or dispensary there. 

S. McMullen teaches some in the school; his main 
work is that of preaching. In some of the villages 
the people have told him that their deities are only 
stones. The people who listen to the message are 
beginning to learn and to appreciate the great truth 
of God's love. Ernest Gordon gives most of his 
time to the children. In the school there are relig- 
ious exercises every day. A half hour each morning 



4IO Reformation of the Nineteenth Century 

is devoted to the study of the Scriptures. The pres- 
ent membership in Bilaspur is sixty-nine; there are 
seven teachers and helpers. 

Mungeli is thirty-one miles from Bilaspur. The 
work there began in 1887. G. W. Jackson was the 
founder. The society now has a bungalow, a school, 
a hospital, a leper asylum and a dispensary at that 
station. There are two other dispensaries ten and 
twelve miles distant. Mr. Jackson's health having 
failed, he left for home. B. M. Gordon was engaged 
to take his place. W. E. Cooper and A. W. Hitt 
each spent some time at Mungeli. At the present 
time H. M. Gordon and Dr. Anna M. Gordon are in 
charge. Mr. and Mrs. Gordon were born and partly 
educated in India. Mr. Gordon spent one year in 
Chicago University. Dr. Gordon received one medi- 
cal degree in Bombay and another in Brussels. She 
has two large gold medals which were awarded her 
for proficiency in her chosen profession. I^ike other 
missionaries Mr. Gordon uses the magic lantern to 
attract the people and to illustrate and impress the 
truth. He preaches in Mungeli and in one hundred 
and fifty villages within a circuit of a few miles. 
Two schools are conducted. One is a night school 
and is for such boys as cannot attend during the day. 
Dr. Gordon gives all her time to the medical work. 
Last year she saw 9,705 patients. She has given 
considerable attention to the lepers. They have 
been greatly benefited by regular diet and by her 
simple treatment. The work among the women 
has proven successful far beyond her expectations. 
Six can read their Hindi New Testaments. About 



The Period of Foreign Missions 411 

thirty attend her Bible class on Sunday. Five of 
these have been baptized. The children in the Sun- 
day-school go out in twos every Sunday and hold 
village Sunday-schools. There are six schools con- 
ducted by the children. Hera Il^al, the medical 
assistant, has proven himself invaluable in the medi- 
cal department. One of the most promising con- 
verts was a blind boy by the name of Gulali. He 
spent three years in the Bible and training school in 
Harda. Just as he was preparing for his best work 
he died. According to the latest statistics there are 
100 members in the church at Mungeli, and 1000 
pupils in the Sunday-school. There are 25 lepers 
receiving treatment. The helpers number six. 

Damoh is sixty-six miles from Jabbalpur. The 
work at that point began in 1895. The first workers 
were Mr. and Mrs. W. K. Rambo and John G. 
McGavran. Miss Josepha and Miss Stella Frank- 
lin, Mrs. John G. McGavran and Dr. Mary T. 
McGavran, F. B. Stubbin and David and Dr. 
Minnie Rioch joined the mission later. Mr. 
Rambo was born in Missouri and educated in 
Kentucky University. Mrs. Rambo was born and 
educated in Vermont. Mr. McGavran is from Ohio. 
He is a graduate of Bethany College. Mrs. McGav- 
ran was born in Bengal and was educated in Eng- 
land. Her parents spent their lives in India as 
missionaries. Miss Josepha Franklin is a daughter 
of Joseph Franklin, of Bedford, Ind. She taught 
for some years in the school of Anderson, Ind., be- 
fore her appointment. Ramabai spoke of Miss 
Franklin as one of the most heroic women in India. 



412 Reformation of the NineteejitJi Century 

Miss Stella is her sister. Her work in the church 
and in a printing office before she asked to be sent 
to India, qualified her for service in the field. Dr. 
McGavran is a graduate of the Woman's College of 
Philadelphia. She spent one whole year in post- 
graduate work. She is supported by the women in 
the churches in England. Mr. Stubbin came from 
Australia. He is supported by the churches under 
the Southern Cross. He expects to give his life to 
the training of the orphans connected with the 
mission. David Rioch is a graduate of Butler 
College. Dr. Rioch is a graduate of one of the 
medical colleges of Indianapolis. He from Canada. 
He is for London. 

Damoh was selected on account of its healthful- 
ness and on account of its central location. Damoh 
is the site of the orphanage for boys. There are 
now 305 under the control of the missionaries. 
Most of them are famine orphans. Miss Josepha 
Franklin teaches the boys in the day school. She 
aims to do the same grade of work that is done at 
home. She has the general oversight of the girls' 
school also. A half hour of every day is devoted to 
the study of the Bible. The Life of Christ is taught 
in chronological order. Miss Franklin not only 
teaches the children, but the teachers as well. She 
gives them lessons in principles and methods of 
teaching. Gymnastics and military drill are also 
taught. Mr. Rambo gives much of his time to the 
boys. He is teaching them trades and is seeking to 
prepare them to live lives of usefulness and noble- 
ness. Some of the boys are learning dairying, oth- 



The Period of Foreign Missions 413 

ei'S poultry culture, others gardening, and a few 
tailoring. Other trades will follow in due time. 
The boys are now planting all kinds of seeds and 
watching their growth. They take readily to im- 
proved tools, such as hoes, shovels, picks, spades, 
rakes, forks and saws. A boy will do more work in 
half a day with an American tool than he can do in 
a week with Hindu tools. David Rioch gives most 
of his time to the orphanage. Mr. McGavran has 
equipped himself for evangelistic work. He prefers 
this to any other. He goes out into the villages 
and gives much of his time and energy to the in- 
struction of those who have never heard the gospel 
of salvation. He has had much to do with the 
buildings that have been erected there. Two bung- 
alows, an orphanage and an industrial school have 
already been provided. Other buildings are needed 
and will be supplied as soon as possible. Mr. Stub- 
bin proposes to take charge of the workshops as soon 
as he has sufficient knowledge of the language to do 
so. Mrs. Rambo has charge of her own home. She 
aids in the mission in many ways. She makes gar- 
ments for the boys with her own hands. She visits 
the orphanage almost every morning and teaches the 
little ones Bible verses and simple songs. Mrs. 
McGavran assists her husband and the other work- 
ers and looks after her children. Miss Stella Frank- 
lin gives herself to the work in the zenanas and to 
the villages. The people who know her say, ''Come 
and see us;" or, "Come and teach us your Bible." 
She is also teaching a class of educated young men. 
Dr. McGavran looks after the health of all in the 



414 Reformation of the Niiieteenth Century 

mission and as many of the people as need and seek 
lier assistance. She needs and must have a hospital 
very soon. 

In the famine tens of thousands of meals were 
given out to the starving. Money for relief came 
from England, Scotland, America, Australia, New 
Zealand and from wealthy people in India. The 
missionaries were asked to serve as agents in the 
distribution of money and other supplies. They 
gave out grain for food and for seed, thread, bam- 
boo, leather, wood, clothing and other necessaries. 
Widows, orphans, blind, aged, crippled, lepers and 
hungry and helpless poor, were relieved and saved 
alive. More than sixty villages were visited and 
helped by our workers in Damoh. In that time 730 
children were cared for in the orphanage. More 
than one thousand other persons were supplied in the 
daily ministrations. Those who have been helped 
are the readiest to hear and to believe the gospel. 
It need surprise no one if thousands of Hindus and 
Mohammedans should turn to the I/Ord because of 
the self-sacrifice and the heroic devotion of the mis- 
sionaries in those two years when the heavens above 
them were as brass and the earth beneath them as 
iron. 



IV. 

JAPAN. 

The convention held in Indianapolis in 1881 
nrged that Japan be occupied at the earliest mo- 
ment possible. The first missionaries sent to that 
country were Mr. and Mrs. Geo. T. Smith and 
Mr. and Mrs. C. B. Garst. Mr. Smith was a 
graduate of Bethany College and a minister of rec- 
ognized ability. He was serving the historic church 
in Warren, O., at the time of his call to that field. 
He had served the churches in Bucyrus and Swamp- 
scott. Mrs. Josephine W. Smith ¥^as born in Corn- 
wallis, N. S. She was married to Mr. Smith soon 
after he left college. Mr. Garst was born near Day- 
ton, O. He received his education in the Iowa 
Agricultural College, in the West Point Military 
Academy and in Butler University. He received 
his commission from the hand of General Grant. For 
several years he was in the regular army on the 
frontier. Mrs. I^aura Delaney Garst was born in 
Hopedale, Ohio. She received her education at 
Union Springs and Rochester, N. Y. After their 
marriage Ivieutenant and Mrs. Garst thought much 
of mission work, and contributed liberally to its 
support. At one time they had it in their hearts 
to go to Africa as missionaries, at their own 
charges. 

These four workers sailed from San Francisco for 
Japan on the 27th of September, 1883. On their 

(415) 



41 6 Reformation of the Nineteenth Century 

arrival they engaged rooms in the Temperance 
Hotel in Yokohama, and began immediately the 
study of the language. They remained in that city 
until they were able to take care of themselves in 
the interior. They found the treaty ports well sup- 
plied with workers. Mr. Smith said in his humor- 
ous way that there were more missionaries in the 
foreign concessions of Japan to the square inch than 
there were in any other part of the world. After 
looking over the whole land they decided to begin 
work in Akita. This place is on the Northwest 
Coast, and is about four hundred miles from Tokio. 
Akita has a population of 40,000; the province of 
which Akita is the capital has a population of 
600,000. There were then no missionaries in that 
province. Most of the people had not heard the 
name of Jesus. For some months the two families 
lived in a Japanese house as one family. They had 
all things in common. The Japanese were greatly 
amused when they saw these men and their wives 
walking arm-in-arm on the streets. They had 
never seen it on that fashion. Four months after 
the mission was opened there were two baptisms. 
Before the missionaries could intelligently answer 
the question. What must I do to be saved? it was 
asked by penitent believers. Two months later 
there were four more baptisms. These baptisms 
created no small stir. A church was organized and 
the ordinances were observed. The following spring 
Mrs. Smith died. She and her infant child were 
buried in the Buddhist cemetery at the edge of the 
town. Her saintly and gentle life had not been 



The Period of Foreign Missions 417 

lived in vain. Her death caused some who had 
been hesitating to decide for Christ. The Christian 
Woman's Board of Missions asked the Mission Bands 
and the Rope-holders for funds to erect a memorial 
chapel in Akita. That property was deeded to the 
Foreign Society. The next year Miss Calla Har- 
rison and Miss Kate V. Johnson joined the mission. 
They had been successful teachers in the public 
schools of Madison, Ind. They volunteered to serve 
the lyord Christ in Japan. 

While carrying on work in Akita the missionaries 
did not neglect the surrounding country and towns. 
They made long preaching tours from time to time. 
They diligently sought to evangelize all that part of 
the empire. The first out-station was established in 
Honjo, a town twelve miles distant containing 
30,000 without any gospel privileges. There a 
number were added to the I^ord. About the same 
time some work was done in Tsuchizaki, the port of 
Akita. A convert who had served Mr. Smith as 
cook removed to Arakawa, a silver-mining town. 
There he preached the gospel and won some of his 
associates to the faith. The believers built a 
small chapel and paid for it out of their own scanty 
earnings. They continue to meet to break bread 
and to exhort one another to hold fast the beginning 
of their confidence firm unto the end. Other 
churches were organized in Innai and Shonai. 
Meanwhile, preaching services were held every 
week in Akita. Sunday-schools and other services 
were held in different sections of the city. Women 

were gathered in Bible classes and taught. The 

27 



4i8 Reformation of the Nineteenth Centtiry 

labors of the missionaries were not in vain in the 
Lord. 

In 1888 Mr. Smith returned from a visit to 
America. In the year that he had been absent 
from the field he married Miss Candace Lhamon. 
She accompanied him to Akita. Miss Lhamon had 
served the Woman's Board in Ohio as its organ- 
izer. She visited the churches to form auxiliaries 
and to generate and foster missionary interest and 
zeal. She was known far and wide as a most 
effective worker and speaker. Mr. and Mrs. Eugene 
Snodgrass and P. B. Hall w^ent to Japan in the same 
boat. Mr. Snodgrass was a graduate of Kentucky 
University and of the College of the Bible. At the 
time of his appointment to Japan he was serving the 
church in Ashland, Ky. Mr. Hall was educated in 
Milligan College and spent some time as a city evan- 
gelist in Washington and Maryland. After these 
arrivals it was deemed expedient to scatter the 
forces. Mr. and Mrs. Garst and Mr. and Mrs. 
Snodgrass and Miss Kate Johnson moved to Shonai, 
a place of 25,000 people, and the center of a vast 
and neglected district. There a chapel was built to 
accommodate the worshipers. The other mission- 
aries made Akita their home and the base of their 
operations. 

Two years later it was decided to make Tokio the 
central station. Tokio is the capital; it has a pop- 
ulation of 1,500,000. It is one of the great cities of 
the world. It was a good thing in many ways that 
the workers went first to Akita. Their action was 
one of the causes that led to a more general 



The Period of Foreign Missions ■ 419 

dispersion of fhe missionaries over the empire tliat 
took place at that time. Prior to their settling in 
Akita, most of the missionaries in Japan continued 
to live in the treaty ports. Now all parts are occu- 
pied. It was a good thing, too, for the workers 
themselves. They were able to preach sooner than 
if they had remained in a large city where they 
would have been more independent and where the 
audiences are more critical. Nevertheless, Tokio 
became the center of all the work in Japan. From 
Tokio the workers can easily go out in all direc- 
tions. The fact that they live in the capital gives 
them a standing in the smaller towns that they could 
not otherwise have. They have evangelized hundreds 
of towns. They have sold and given away much 
•literature. They have opened charity and Sunday- 
schools. They have held meetings for women, and 
Bible-classes for all who can be persuaded to attend. 
They have prepared tracts for general distribution, 
and have done whatever they could to advance the 
interests of the kingdom. 

About the same time Miss Loduska Wirick joined 
the mission. She graduated from Drake Universi- 
ty. The Belle Bennett Fund supports her. For the 
first term of service she preferred to be independent. 
Since her return she works in connection with the 
other missionaries and is paid through the Foreign 
Society. Miss Wirick built a chapel in Tokio out 
of her savings. One interested traveler said he 
was more impressed by the sight of that simple 
house of worship than he had been by any of the 
cathedrals of Europe. A Japanese evangelist does 



420 Reformation of the Nineteenth Century 

most of the preaching in this chapel. Miss Wirick 
conducts a charity and a Sunday-school. In 1892, 
K. S. Stevens, Dr. Nina Stevens, Miss lyavenia Old- 
ham, and Miss Mary Rioch entered Japan. Mr. 
Stevens was educated at Ada, Ohio, and in Ken- 
tucky University. Dr. Stevens was born in i\ugusta, 
Ky., and took her medical degree in Cleveland, 
Ohio. Miss Oldham came from Mt. Sterling, ^Cy. 
She was an experienced school-teacher and an active 
worker in the church. Miss Rioch came from Ham- 
ilton, Ont. Before her appointment she demon- 
strated her fitness for missionary service. Since the 
autumn of 1895 Mr. and Dr. Stevens have been sta- 
tioned in Akita. There are several churches in that 
district in charge of Japanese evangelists. He visits 
these churches from time to time and sets in order 
the things that are wanting and exhorts the believ- 
ers to cleave to the Lord with full purpose of heart. 
He goes with his helpers into sections that have not 
been visited by any worker and preaches the glad 
tidings to as many as will listen. Dr. Stevens is 
doing the work of a medical missionary. She gath- 
ers the women together and teaches them how to 
care for their own health, and how to care for the 
health of their children, and how to bring them up 
in the nurture and admonition of the I^ord. Miss 
Oldham and Miss Rioch have their home in Tokio. 
Miss Oldham conducts three Sunday-schools, two 
charity schools, two Bible classes for women and one 
English Bible class. Miss Rioch has charge of the 
Girls' Home and Training School, conducts a char- 
ity school and a Bible meeting for women. Outside 



The Period of Foreign Missions 421 

of the government offices Sunday is not observed in 
Japan. Most of the people are extremely poor. 
They believe they would starve if they rested one 
day in seven. Many will not attend services in the 
chapels until they are somewhat interested. The 
women in the mission visit the people in their 
homes and invite them. They explain their object 
in living in Japan. 

Mr. and Mrs. H. H. Guy went out in the autumn 
of 1893. They are both graduates of Drake Uni- 
versity. Mr. Guy has charge of one chapel, teaches 
a Bible class, teaches a class in English in the 
Young Men's Christian Association and does many 
other things to win the people and to aid the cause 
of missions. From time to time he goes on long 
tours throughout the country. He spends as much 
as six weeks on some of these tours. He holds 
series of meetings where there are churches and 
evanofelizes where there are none. He also edits the 
Missionary Magazine. Mrs. Guy has charge of her 
home, conducts a charity school and a Bible meet- 
ing for women. In Japan as in other fields much 
time and attention must be given to inquirers. 
They may call before day or late at night. They 
may call when one has very important work on 
hand. He must stop and hear their troubles and 
perplexities and help solve them. If he shows any 
irritation he will lose his influence with them and 
with all their friends and acquaintances. Many 
hours out of every week are spent in this way. 

Two years later Mr. and Mrs. M. B. Madden were 
sent to Japan. They both came from Kansas. 



422 Reformation of the Nineteenth Century 

Both were students in Bethany; he graduated. On 
Field Day he took most of the prizes. Mr. and Mrs. 
Madden live in Sendai, the largest city in the 
northern part of the empire. They have built a 
home of their own. The money was furnished by a 
good woman in West Plains, Mo. Besides the work 
in Sendai Mr. Madden has the oversight of the work 
in Fukushima. This place is twenty-five miles 
away. Ha-segawa San teaches and preaches in 
Fukushima. Akozu is a country district not far 
from Sendai. There are six or eight groups of be- 
lievers in that district. Kawamura San works in 
this field. Mr. Madden visits both places as he can 
find time and preaches for days at a time at each. 
In August, 1900, Miss Carme Hostetter joined the 
mission in Sendai. She had spent five years in 
Japan, and understands the language and delights 
in the work. She gives most of her time to evangel- 
izing. 

The same year that Mr. Madden went out Mr. 
and Mrs. R. L. Pruett were engaged by the society on 
the recommendation of the missionaries in Japan. 
They went out as independent missionaries. On 
reaching the field they discovered that no provision 
had been made for their support. It was necessary 
for them to teach English in Japanese schools to 
earn enough to live. They had little time for real 
missionar}^ work. They asked the society to as- 
sume their support and to put them to work. This 
was done. They are now in Osaka. This is the 
second city in the empire in respect to population, 
and the first in respect to business. There are a 



The Period of Foreign Missions 433 

million souls within the limits of Osaka. There are 
25,000,000 within the radius of one day's journey 
from the center of that city. Most of these people 
do not know their right hand from their left in 
religious matters. Mr. Pruett works Shizuoka as an 
out-station. A good work has been begun at that 
point. Two years ago Mr. and Mrs. Frank H. Mar- 
shall, of Minnesota, left their home and friends and 
kindred to give their lives for the redemption of the 
Japanese. Mr. Marshall was born in Nineveh, Ind., 
and was educated in Butler University. He taught 
in Excelsior College and preached for some of the 
churches in that part of the State. He made rapid 
progress in the study of the language. He was a 
valuable addition to the force. He taught and 
preached through interpreters. In April, 1898, Miss 
Bertha Clawson left Angola, Ind., for Akita. Most 
of the time since has been devoted to the acquisition 
of the language. The Angola church regards her 
as their missionary. They furnish the money needed 
for her maintenance. The other churches in Steu- 
ben County paid her passage and gave her an outfit. 
I^ast September Teizo Kawai went from Des Moines 
to serve as an evangelist in Akita. He took a thor- 
ough course in Drake University. He is doing good 
service. 

The Japan mission has suffered from the loss of 
several of its workers. Mr. and Mrs. Smith returned 
home in 1892 and did not again enter Japan. In 
December, 1899, Mr. Garst died. He had been in 
the field for sixteen years. He mastered the lan- 
guage as few other missionaries have done. He 



424 Reformatiojt of the Nineteenth Century 

loved the Japanese and delighted in preaching to 
them. He had influence with the leaders of 
thought and with the statesmen of the country. 
Mr. and Mrs. Marshall found it necessary to come 
home because she could not stand the climate. 
Others will take the places of those who left and 
those who died. P. A. Davey went out in Septem- 
ber, 1899, to do evangelistic work. Others will be 
sent to occupy the stations that have been opened 
and to open new stations. Now that the new 
treaties have gone into effect the Japanese are more 
disposed to listen to the gospel than they have been 
since the Chinese war. 

In forty-one places the gospel is preached regu- 
larly. It is preached irregularly in many more. 
There are eight organized churches; in these there 
are 706 members. The missionaries number twenty, 
and the assistants of all kinds twenty-four. In the 
twenty-three Sunday-schools there are 738 pupils 
enrolled. There are fifteen day schools and 150 chil- 
dren in attendance. The students for the ministry 
number six, and those receiving special biblical 
training, fifteen. The society owns eight churcli 
buildings, two schools and eight homes. 



V. 

CHINA AND AFRICA. 

The first representative of the Foreign Society 
entered China January 29, 1886. Dr. W. E. Mack- 
lin was sent out to Japan as a medical missionary. 
On reaching the field he discovered that medical 
missionaries were not needed in that country. After 
some correspondence with the executive committee, 
and conference with his associates in Japan, he de- 
cided to open a mission in China. He spent six 
months in Shanghai studying the language, and 
then moved to Nankin and called for reinforcements. 
Dr. Macklin is a Canadian. by birth. He took his 
medical degree in Toronto. After spending some 
time in practice he offered himself for the foreign 
field. Before his departure he spent six months in 
New York City taking special courses to qualify 
himself more thoroughly for the service. When he 
left, his teachers pronounced him the best all-around 
man they had ever sent out. A. F. H. Saw and B. 
P. Hearnden joined him that year. They went out 
from the West London Tabernacle. They had been 
indoctrinated and trained by W. T. Moore. The 
next year E. T. Williams and F. E. Meigs and their 
families sailed from San Francisco for China. Mr. 
Williams resigned one of the best pulpits among us 
to become a missionary. At the time of his appoint- 
ment Mr. Meigs was one of the Sunday-school evan- 
gelists of Missouri. Both were widely and favorably 

(425) 



426 Reformation of the Nineteenth Century 

known. Their going made a profound impression 
on the minds and hearts of many thousands. On 
arriving at their destination they rented and re- 
paired some rooms in an old Buddhist temple and 
began the study of Chinese. Additional men and 
women have been sent out since from England and 
America. Several experienced and eiScient workers 
already on the field joined the mission. These were 
as follows: James Ware and family, Charles K. 
Holland and family, Mrs. E. P. Hearnden and Mrs. 
Ella C. F. Saw. There are ten men and thirteen 
women and sixty-nine native helpers connected 
with the mission. Work is carried on at five sta- 
tions and seven out-stations. Nine churches have 
been established; these have a combined member- 
ship of 565. The additions for the past year number 
183. The children in the mission schools num- 
ber 284. 

Nankin is the center of the work in China. Nan- 
kin is situated on the Yangtsze River and is about 
two hundred miles from its mouth. It is a walled 
city, with a population numbering half a million or 
more. Nankin was once and for centuries the 
capital of the empire; it may be the capital again. 
There are thousands of towns and villages that can 
be reached by the workers in Nankin. The society 
has now in that city a hospital, two dispensaries, a 
college for boys, a school for girls, a chapel and a 
number of other places where the gospel is preached 
regularly. At the present time the workers are as 
follows: Dr. W. E. and Mrs. Macklin, F. E. and 
Mattie Meigs, Frank and Ethel B. Garrett, Mrs. 



The Period of Foreign Missions 427 

Ella C. F. Saw, Miss Emma Ivyon, Miss Mary Kelly 
and Dr. Daisy Macklin. Dr. W. E. Macklin has 
charge of the medical work. Each year he sees about 
20,000 patients. Only the worst cases go to the 
hospital. The Chinese have physicians of their own 
and go to them first; they spend their substance on 
them. If they get no relief they go to the foreigner 
as a last resort. People suffering from cholera, 
smallpox, scrofula, rheumatism, blindness, syphilis 
and other forms of disease throng the hospital for 
treatment. Some have traveled hundreds of miles 
seeking health and cure. Every in-patient is in- 
structed in things pertaining to God. Bible classes 
are taught in the hospital. Out-patients hear the 
Word preached daily; each one receives a Gospel 
and some tracts. The medical work is designed to 
open the hearts of the people to the message of sal- 
vation. Everything that is done is intended to con- 
tribute to the furtherance of the gospel. Dr. Mack- 
lin is a fluent and effective speaker. He delights in 
preaching. He has several circuits and goes out 
and speaks good words for the Lord Jesus. In his 
spare minutes he writes tracts and articles for the 
papers. Mrs. Macklin is a sister of Mrs. Garst and 
is a granddaughter of Jonas Hartzell. She has four 
children to train up in the nurture and admonition 
of the lyord. She assists in the mission as she is 
able. Mr. Meigs is president of the college. The 
students number fifty. The great majority of 
them are Christians. There is in the college a 
Christian Endeavor Society and a Young Men's 
Christian Association. Twelve of the boys keep the 



428 Refoinnation of the Nineteenth Century 

morning watch. The students are being prepared 
for useful and noble lives. Most of them are taught 
trades. In the industrial department they are given 
to understand that manual labor and scholarship are 
not incompatible. Some of these boys will become 
teachers; others, it is hoped, will become evangel- 
ists and colporteurs. Thus one of the most pressing 
needs of the mission will be supplied. Mr. Meigs 
goes out in different directions to preach; in tea 
houses, in temples, in the market-place, along the 
roadside, he finds opportunities for making known to 
the Chinese the unsearchable riches of Christ. Mrs. 
Meigs has two children and her household duties to 
look after. She gives as much of time and thought 
and strength to the work as she can. Frank Gar- 
rett is a graduate of Drake University. He has 
recently taken charge of the church at Nankin. 
The membership numbers 172; the pupils in the 
day school, 35. He visits Pukeo, a large town 
across the river, three times a month, and preaches 
there. Mrs. Garrett is a graduate of Oskaloosa. 
She has a child to rear and teach. • She gives two 
hours a day to the college, and spends some time in 
teaching the women the fi.rst principles of the gos- 
pel. Mrs. Saw is busily engaged in the work 
among the women and children. She goes out from 
time to time on evangelistic tours. She encourages 
the other missionaries and proclaims the gospel to 
those who have never heard the joyful sound. Miss 
Lyon is a graduate of Bethany College; she entered 
the field in 1892. Miss Lyon has charge of the 
girls' school. She has two Sunday-schools, and 



Hie Period of Foreign Missions 429 

visits and receives visits from the women of the city. 
Miss Mary Kelly is a graduate of Hiram; she does 
evangelistic work in Nankin and in other parts of 
the empire. She has visited Chu Cheo and Lu 
Cheo fu, and has spoken the Word of life to the peo- 
ple of those places and in the towns through which 
she has passed. Dr. Daisy Macklin assists in the 
hospital and in the dispensaries. 

Early in the history of the mission the workers 
felt that it would not do to confine their labors to 
Nankin; they must reach other towns and cities 
with the truth. The second plate entered was 
Shanghai. It was necessary to have a station there, 
as that is the gate to the empire. Shanghai is by 
far the most influential commercial center in the 
Far East. The population numbers about 450,000. 
Shanghai is not so large as Canton, Hankow or 
Pekin, but it is very much more important than any 
of these. It is a great literary center. The Mis- 
sionary Recorder^ the Review of the Times ^ the Mis- 
sionary Review^ the Daily Herald and other papers 
are published there. Shanghai is one of the most 
cosmopolitan cities in the world. The Lord sent a 
man to .begin work in that city. James Ware had 
been in China for more than ten years; he had been 
an agent of the British and Foreign Bible Societ}-. 
He knew the language and the people and the cus- 
toms of the country. On making the acquaintance 
of Mr. Williams and Mr. Meigs he found that his 
convictions respecting questions of doctrine and the 
ordinances accorded with theirs. He threw in his 
lot with our people in China. Ever since he has 



430 Reformation of the Nineteenth Century 

been working in Shanghai under the auspices of the 
society. W. P. Bentley went out in 1890. Soon 
after reaching the field he was assigned to Shanghai. 
Mr. Bentley is a graduate of the Ohio State Univer- 
sity and of Bethany College. Mrs. Bentley came 
from Braddock, Pa. There are now two churches 
in Shanghai; the combined membership is 87. The 
pupils in the day school number 93; those in the 
Sunday-school, 108. In one church the member- 
ship has doubled in two years. Recently Mr. Ware 
has opened a new work in a new section of the city. 
It is in the neighborhood of the great cotton factor- 
ies. A mandarin has given him the use of a large 
room for a girls' school. There is a school for boys 
in the same vicinity under his supervision. Mr. 
Ware is one of the busiest men in China. He is one 
of the committee to revise the present Chinese ver- 
sion of the Scriptures; he reads the proof-sheets as 
the work passes through the press. He superintends 
the stations in Tsungming, a large island in the 
river with a population of a million souls, and in 
Tung Chow, a city with a population of 80,000, and 
in Tseu-Saw, a city with a population of 30,000, and 
in Yung Shing Saw and in Yang King. There are 
many other places that he visits and in which he 
preaches while going to and from these out-stations. 
His aim is to diffuse a knowledge of the gospel as 
widely as possible. Mr. Bentley has oversight of 
the Christian Institute. That is a hive of busy 
workers. In that building day schools and night 
schools are carried on; Bible women and evangelists 
and colporteurs are trained; the gospel is preached 



The Period of Foreign Missions 431 

every day in the year, and literature is sold and given 
away to those who will read it. Mr. Bentley edits 
and publishes a monthly paper entitled the Eastern 
Star. 

The next station was opened in Chu Cheo. That 
place is north of the river and forty miles distant 
from Nankin. It is on the main road between Nan- 
kin and Pekin. Imperial couriers and merchants 
and travelers and pilgrims and coolies pass through 
daily. Chu Cheo is a place of considerable political 
importance. The society has there now W. R. 
Hunt and family and Dr. K. I. Osgood and family. 
Two homes and a chapel have been built. The 
present number in the church is 99. Last year 2,483 
patients were seen. Schools have been opened for 
boys and girls. Before the advent' of Dr. Osgood Mr. 
Hunt did the medical work. He took some lessons 
in medicine from Dr. Macklin and was able to cure 
simple forms of disease. The serious cases were 
sent to Nankin for treatment. Dr. Osgood is a 
classical graduate of Hiram; he received his medical 
degree from one of the Cleveland schools. Mrs. Os- 
good is a daughter of O. G. Hertzog, and is also a 
graduate of Hiram. Much work has been done 
around Chu Cheo. In that district there are not less 
than five millions of people in need of the gospel. A 
building has been rented and an evangelist employed 
in Luhoh, a town of 40,000, and some forty miles 
away. The membership there numbers ten. Yu- 
Ho Tsz is fifteen miles from Chu Cheo. There 
Evangelist Shi and his devoted wife live. It was 
through her instrumentality that the church was 



433 Refoin7iation of the Nineteenth Century 

planted. She is known as a hot-hearted Christian. 
It was her purpose to erect a house of worship; she 
proposed to bear the expense herself. Her neigh- 
bors said, *'We will help you;" they have done so 
most gladly. A neat chapel is the result. Every 
night the bell rings and the people gather to hear 
the Word of life. The fame of that church has 
been carried as far north as Pekin. Four miles be- 
yond Yu Ho Tsz is the out-station of Kwan wu 
wei. There, too, the gospel is preached and the 
youth of the place are taught. The missionaries 
in Chu Cheo have made evangelistic tours all 
through the district. 

Wuhu is fifty miles up the river from Nankin. 
Chas. E. Holland and family and Miss Effie D. Kel- 
lar are located there. Wuhu has a population of 
100,000. It is an open port. From Wuhu caravans 
start in several directions into the interior. In Wu- 
hu the society owns a good home and a chapel, 
but no other buildings. Mr. Molland and his 
helpers preach every day and night in the chapel 
and in the inns and on the streets. Work is also 
carried on at Wuwei Cho. The society own a chapel 
there. The believers in Wuhu number 90; the 
children in the Sunday-school, 36. For several 
years Miss Rose Sickler taught the women and chil- 
dren in Wuhu; that school is still taught and has 30 
pupils. Miss Kellar has gone to this field; she is 
supported by the churches in Kansas City, Mo. 

lyU Cheo fu is about 150 miles due west from Wu- 
hu. It is an inland city with a population of about 
100,000. In the vicinity there are a million people or 



The Period of Foreign Missions 433 

more that can be evangelized from that center. I^u 
Cheo fu was opened by T. J. Arnold, It took him 
three years to rent the first house; the citizens did 
not want their soil defiled by the presence of outside 
barbarians. The man that did rent them a house 
was for that act incarcerated for several months. 
Dr. James Butchart was the first missionary to live 
in I^u Cheo fu. On his arrival the people wanted to 
drive him away; he would not oblige them by going. 
Before many weeks a prominent merchant was dy- 
ing of hernia. When the Chinese physicians con- 
fessed that they could do no more, Dr. Butchart was 
called in for consultation. He proposed a surgical 
operation as the only possible method of saving the 
man; his proposal was accepted by all concerned. 
The operation was performed without delay. With 
the blessing of God the patient recovered. Then a 
feast was made for the great Western doctor, scrolls 
were hung on the walls of the hospital and congrat- 
ulatory speeches were made. Since that time there 
has been no talk of chasing the foreigner out of town. 
Dr. Butchart was born in Canada. He received his 
medical training in Cincinnati and in New York. 
In his courses he took every gold medal and every 
prize that was offered. C. B. Titus and wife are 
now in I^u Cheo fu. Mr. Titus is a graduate of Hi- 
ram. Thus far he and Mrs. Titus have been giving 
most of their time to the language. As they have 
found opportunity they have spoken to the people of 
the love of God as revealed in the person of his Son. 
By their lives and by their numerous acts of kind- 
ness they have done what they could to commend 

28 



434 Reformation of the Nineteenth Century 

the gospel to the favorable consideration of all with 
whom they have had to do. Dr. H. G. Welpton 
has had charge of the medical work in Lu Cheo fu 
in the absence of Dr. Butchart on furlough. Mr. 
x\rnold, who first entered that city, will return after 
a little; it is his purpose to make lyU Cheo fu 
his home and to spend his life in work in that 
city and district. Already a church has been 
organized; the present membership is 19. Pupils 
in the Sunday-school number 14. Dr. Welpton 
treated 700 patients last year. His purpose was 
not to treat any, but to give himself exclusively to 
the study of Chinese. It was impossible for him to 
do this; the suffering came to him and sought relief; 
he could not turn them away. From the first the 
believers in Lu Cheo fu have been taught self-sup- 
port. The first year they gave about one dollar 
each for the support of the gospel; they also made a 
contribution to the treasury of the Foreign Society. 
They are collecting funds now for a chapel. When 
their poverty is remembered it will be seen that their 
ofifts are on a o^enerous scale. 

Since the work began in China several of the 
workers have died. The following laid down their 
lives: Mrs. Carrie I^oos Williams, A. F. H. Saw, Mr. 
and Mrs. H. P. Hearnden. Mrs. Williams gave six 
years of devoted service to China; her beautiful char- 
acter and good deeds will be long and lovingly 
cherished by that people. She came home for sur- 
gical treatment, fully expecting to return in a few 
months. Contrary to the predictions of all the phy- 
sicians, she died within a few hours of the operation. 



The Period of Foreign Missions 435 

She is buried in Columbus, O. Mr. Saw, while 
caring for the starving fugitives, took typhus fever 
and died from it. He was a giant in body and able 
to endure hardness as a good soldier. He was 
never so happy as when talking to the people about 
the gospel of God's grace. He loved the Chinese 
and sought to guide their feet into the way of peace. 
Mr. Hearnden was drowned. He had been out visit- 
ing some of the converts. Before the time of his 
return there was a heavy fall of rain and one of the 
streams that he had to ford was much swollen. In 
swimming across it his horse kicked him and he 
sank to rise no more in this life. Mrs. Hearnden died 
of a broken heart. They were loving and pleasant in 
their lives and in their death they were not divided. 
Among those who died should be mentioned little 
Marion Macklin. Though her name is not found 
among the missionaries, she did much to win the 
Chinese to the glad tidings. In her case the Scrip- 
ture was fulfilled, "A little child shall lead them." 
She was a source of joy in her home, and not only 
so, but in the whole mission. Other changes besides 
those made by death have been made. Mr. Williams 
resigned in 1896. For a time he was one of the 
editors of the Shanghai daily papers. Subsequently 
he was interpreter to the consul-general and for a 
time vice-consul. It was his desire for a long time 
to give his life to literary work; he believed that in 
that capacity he could serve the Chinese more effect- 
ively than in any other way. Before his resignation 
he became the editor of the Missionary Review of 
China; he still holds that position. At the present 



43^ Reformation of the Nineteenth Century 

time he is in the employment of the Chinese Govern- 
ment. He is preparing text books for the Chinese 
schools. Mrs. Rose Sickler Williams is engaged in 
the same kind of work. Soon after the death of her 
husband Mrs. Saw, with the consent of the society, 
removed to Nankin. 

China is one of the great mission fields of the 
world. The population is estimated at about 400,- 
000,000. Of these 100,000 are enrolled as believers. 
There are missionaries in each of the provinces and 
in Mongolia, Manchuria, Tibet and Korea. When 
it is remembered that the country has been opened 
for a few years only, that the difficulties to be en- 
countered and overcome were numerous and most 
serious, and that the force even now is comparatively 
small, the success that has rewarded the efforts that 
have been put forth and the sacrifices made is ex- 
tremely gratifying. But what has been done thus 
far compared with what remains to be done is only 
as a drop in the ocean. Much is said about the con- 
servatism of the Chinese. What is said is all true. 
But the Chinese do move, nevertheless. Railroads 
are being built, factories are being opened, the min- 
eral resources of the empire are being developed. 
Recently a steam launch has been put on the route 
between Wuhu and Lu Cheo fu. The distance that 
a year ago took two weeks to cover can now be cov- 
ered in twenty-four hours. A new day is dawning 
on that great land. Now is the nick of time for en- 
larging the work. 

The first missionaries of the Foreign Society to 
Africa were sent out in 1897. K. E. Paris was 



The Period of Foi eign Missions \2)1 

under appointment for more than a year before an 
associate was found. Mr. Paris is a son of one 
of our well known Texas preachers. He was 
educated in Add Ran University. After much 
searching Dr. Henry N. Biddle, of Cincinnati, vol- 
unteered and was accepted. He received his educa- 
tion in the common and high'schools of the city in 
which he was born. Here he took his medical 
degree. They were a pair of noble brothers. On 
the fourth day of March, 1897, they sailed out of 
Boston for the Dark Continent. They went by lyiv- 
erpool and London and Paris and Antwerp. They 
were six months reaching their field. They went 
far up the Congo and along several of its large afflu- 
ents seeking a suitable place for their first station. 
They found a number of such places but the author- 
ities were not willing for them to occupy them. 
All sorts of excuses were made. They were told 
that it would not be safe for them to live among the 
savage natives. The fact is they did not wish any 
Protestants in Catholic territory. The natives 
begged them to remain among them; they said, 
''White men of God, do live and work in our midst." 
For many months they had no certain dwelling- 
place. They lived intents or in the open air. They 
were down with fever many times. Living thus 
Dr. Biddle's health failed. His physician told him 
that his only hope of recovery lay in his immediate 
return home. He left on a ship bound for Antwerp. 
The ship touched at the Canaries. He was so low 
that he was carried to the English hospital. In 
the course of two days he died. Dr. Biddle was cast 



438 Reformation of the Nineteenth Century 

in heroic mold. There was something in him akin 
to Livingstone. He gave his life for Africa. As soon 
as his death was reported the society began to look 
for some one to take his place. Dr. Royal J. and Mrs. 
Kva N. Dye volunteered and were sent. They are 
both from Ionia, Mich. Dr. Dye took his medical 
course in New York. Mrs. Dye spent two years 
in Brooklyn in special preparation. The Baptists 
kindly turned over one of their stations on the 
Upper Congo to the Foreign Society. They did 
this because their missions covered more ground 
than they could cultivate. The property at Bolengi 
cost over five thousand dollars; it was sold to the 
society for half that sum. Dr. Dye has two clinics 
daily. All the diseases that flesh is heir to are found 
in that region. He has treated the old chief of the 
village and cured him. Traders resort to the station 
for medicine. Mrs. Dye is clothing and teaching 
the children. Mr. Paris is repairing the property, 
studying the language and preparing to preach the 
gospel far and near. Frank T. Lea and wife have 
been added to the force since. This work is a contin- 
uation of the work done in Africa a generation ago. 
In January, 1854, Alexander Cross, a freedman, and 
his family, reached Monrovia. He spent two months 
pioneering and preparing for his life work. He 
overtaxed his strength and exposed himself to the 
burning tropical sun. As a consequence he took the 
African fever and died. The Disciples of Christ 
never gave up the thought of resuming work in 
Africa. But forty-three years came and went before 
any man was willing to go out to that field. That 



The .Period of Foreign Missions 439 

reproach has now been rolled away. We are doing 
something to win the people from savagery and 
superstition and to civilization and Christianity. 
What we have done is only a beginning. Reinforce- 
ments must be sent out and the necessary facilities 
supplied that the laborers may prosecute the work 
most effectively. 



VI. 

CONCLUSION. 

Ix this concluding chapter it is proposed to give 
some facts that are deemed to be of general interest. 
They are as follows: 

I. The Officers. The Foreign Society has had 
only three presidents. Isaac Errett served in that 
capacity for fourteen years. At his death Charles 
Louis Loos succeeded him; he filled the office till 
October, 1900, when he declined a re-election. A. 
McLean was chosen to succeed him. Among the 
vice-presidents have been Jacob Burnet, James 
Challen, A. I. Hobbs, O. A. Bartholomew, J. B. 
Briney, Dr. E. Williams, Robert T. Mathews, 

B. C. Deweese, E. T. Williams, T. M. Worcester, 
S. M. Jefferson, B. J. Radford, Dr. A. B. Thrasher, 

C. J. Tanner, H. McDiarmid, J. Z. Tyler, J. A. 
Lord, L. E. Brown, G. A. Miller, Geo. B. Ranshaw, 
A. B. Philputt. Three men have served as treas- 
urer, namely, W. S. Dickinson, F. M. Rains and 
S. M. Cooper. The recording secretaries are as fol- 
lows: B. B. Tyler, James Leslie, S. M. Jefferson, A. 
P. Cobb, C. W. Talbott, J. H. Hardin, P. T. Kil- 
gour, I. J. Spencer and S. M. Cooper. The society 
has had five corresponding secretaries as follows: 
Robert Moffett, W. T. Moore, W. B. Ebbert, A. 
McLean and F. I\L Rains. J. F. Wright has 
served as auditor and Dr. P. T. Kilgour as medical 

examiner. One man, and one only, has been a 

(440) 



The Period of Foreign Missions 441 

member of the executive committee from the 
begfinninof. W. S. Dickinson was treasurer for 
twenty-one years; since then he has been one of the 
vice-presidents. F. M. Rains was elected financial 
secretary in 1893. When Mr. Dickinson resigned, 
three years ago, Mr, Rains was elected treasurer, 
later on he was elected corresponding secretar}'. 
His duties are substantially the same as they were 
from the first. His main work is to raise money for 
the society. Since his election, six years ago, the 
receipts have increased nearly threefold. 

2. Some Early Friends of the Society. In the 
early years of the society several men assisted the 
secretaries most cordially. Some of these were state 
secretaries: those deserving of special mention are 
Robert Moffett, of Ohio; B. F. Clay, of Kentucky; 
X. S. Haynes, of Illinois; L. L. Carpenter, of Indi- 
ana, and J. H. Hardin, of Missouri. They were 
careful to see that on all state and district programs 
the work of Foreign Missions was well repre- 
sented. They invited the secretaries to visit their 
conventions and made out trips for them among the 
churches. Robert Moffett took up the collection on 
Children's Day and forwarded the proceeds in bulk 
to the society. Prof. J. W. McGarvey was un- 
wearied in his advocacy of world-wide missions; 
with tongue and pen he did what he could to enlist 
churches and individuals. Mrs. A. A. Johnston, of 
Dallas, Texas, was one of the warmest and wisest 
friends the society has ever had. She did not stop with 
that field; her sympathies embraced the whole world. 
Timothy Coop and his sons contributed on a gener- 



442 Reformati07i of the Ninetee7ith Century 

ous scale. On looking over the books of the earlier 
years one finds that almost every large gift came 
from England. In later years A. M. Atkinson, F. 
M. Drake, J. F. Davis, T. W. Phillips and others 
contributed largely and regularly. One man to 
whom the society owes as much as to any other is 
one who has never had a prominent place in any of 
our conventions. He has been a steadfast and gen- 
erous friend of the society since its organization. 
He has planned and wrought unseen for the enlarge- 
ment of the work. Comparatively few know his 
face and fewer still the value of his services. Not 
more than a score are aware of what he has done for 
this cause. Russell Krrett has been in a position 
where he could help; he has quietly and persistently 
and joyfully done what he could to send the gospel 
to those who are sitting in darkness and in the 
shadow of death. In recent years the helpers are so 
numerous that no attempt can be made to enumerate 
them and to set forth their labors and sacrifices. 

3. The Press and the Colleges. Our religious 
papers have aided the work most effectively. They 
abound in missionary information. There is not an 
issue in the year which does not contain some matter 
relating to world-wide missions. They have line 
upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and 
there a great deal. The editors give much of their 
space to articles from the secretaries and from the 
missionaries, and write stirring articles of their own 
in the interest of every missionary appeal. Without 
their co-operation the society could do little. The 
colleges have made their contribution. In 1875 our 



The Period of Foreign Missions 443 

schools knew nothing at all about missions. The 
students were not taught anything on the subject 
and had no interest whatever in it. Now in every 
school there is a band of missionary volunteers. 
Some of the schools support their own missionaries 
on the field. Bvery student is informed to some ex- 
tent, and he is more or less interested in this divine 
enterprise. 

4. Finances. The income for the first year 
amounted to $1,706. In the sixth year the income 
was $13,178.46. The next year, that is, the year it 
began work in the non-Christian world, it was $25,- 
063.94. The receipts "constantly advanced until they 
amounted to $50,000. Some predicted that was the 
extreme limit. Notwithstanding this prediction the 
receipts continued to increase year by year. For 
several years the society aimed to raise $100,000. 
Three years ago this limit was reached and passed. 
Some thought the next year would see a decided 
falling off, but this was not the case. The next 
year the receipts amounted to $130,925.70. Last 
year they amounted to $180,016.16. There has not 
only been an increase in the contributions, but there 
has been an increase from year to year in the number 
of contributors. Tn the first year of the society's 
work twenty churches contributed; in the sixth 
year the number increased to 217. Seven years later 
the number was 1,038; last year it was 3,069. In 
•the second year of the society's history two Sunday- 
schools contributed. The Sunday-schools began to 
make offerings before they were asked. Children's 
Day was first observed in 1881; that year 260 schools 



444 Reformation of the NineteentJi Century 

responded. Six years later the number of contrib- 
uting schools was 1,064, while last year 3,187 made 
offerings for the support of the work of the society. 
Even in hard times there was an advance in the re- 
ceipts from year to year. No year closed without a 
small balance in the treasury. Every year it is 
necessary for the society to borrow money to pay the 
missionaries and helpers. From the time of the 
annual convention in October to the March offering 
the receipts do not amount to as much as one-third 
of the expenditures. From the time of the March 
offering until the convention the receipts exceed the 
outlay. The policy of the society has always been 
conservative. The executive committee has been in 
favor of going as far and as fast as it could induce 
the brethern to go with it, but no faster. Debt 
has been studiously and religiously avoided. The 
lyord has put it into the hearts of the people to give 
more liberally as the work expanded and its wants 
multiplied. At each convention there has been a 
determination to go forward and to enter new fields. 
There has been no thought of calling a halt or beat- 
ing a retreat. The war cry for this year is, "Two 
hundred thousand dollars for Foreign Missions in 
this the first year of the new century. 

5. Bequests and Annuities. The society has re- 
ceived from bequests from the first $96,351.91. The 
largest bequests were from the following: Mrs. Emily 
Tubman, of Georgia; Albert Allen, of Ohio; Abram 
Farewell, of Ontario; John Stark, of Illinois; Timothy 
Coop, of England; J. D. Metcalf, of Illinois; Mary 
O'Hara, of Pennsylvania, and Asa Shuler, of Ohio. 



The Period of Foreign Missions 445 

The first large bequest came from Mrs. Tubman; it 
was for $30,000. It was received in the nick of 
time; it enabled the society to erect buildings and to 
enlarge its work. The other bequests have been used 
in the same way. The society has received on the 
annuity plan $61,815. Most of this has been in- 
vested in buildings on the mission fields. It has 
been found expedient to house the missionaries and 
to provide schools, chapels, orphanages and asylums. 
The missionaries will live longer and do better work 
because of these conveniences. Besides it is much 
cheaper to pay interest on this money than it is to 
rent buildings in the non-Christian world. At the 
death of those giving the money on this plan their 
gifts will belong to the society. 

6. SiiJfDnary of the Work. The gospel is 
preached in nine different countries. The forces in 
the field number 257. Of these, iii are missionaries; 
the remainder are evangelists, teachers and helpers. 
These work at 113 stations and out-stations. Sev- 
enty-nine churches have been organized. The 
whole number of members is 5,742. Some have 
died, some have removed to other places. These 
are living and under the care of the missionaries. 
Great numbers of the Gospels and other por- 
tions of Scripture and tracts have been sold and 
distributed. The good seed has been sown beside 
all waters. Schools have been opened in India, 
Japan, China, Africa and Turkey. The number of 
children under instruction is 1,406. Some of these 
are being taught and trained to assist in the work. 
In four fields there are medical missionaries; they 



446 Reformation of the Ninetee7ith Ce7itury 

treat over 40,000 patients annually. The whole 
amount received by the society from the first is 
$1,472,608.85. Of this amount $236,000 has been 
invested in mission property. Last year the gain 
in regular receipts was $27,288.78; this is the largest 
gain that has ever been made in any single year. 
This gain shows that the cause of world-wide 
missions is finding a large place in the thoughts and 
affections of the people constantly. The outlook is 
bright and full of promise. There are those now 
living who will see the Foreign Society receiving 
and disbursing a million dollars annually. 

7. The Co-operation of Other Lands. From the 
very first England contributed handsomely to the 
treasury of the society. The women of England 
now support Dr. Mary T. McGavran and Miss M. 
L. Clark in Damoh, India. Dr. McGavran has 
charge of the dispensary at that station. The 
churches in Australia support three native helpers. 
They support also Miss Mary Thompson, Miss 
Pfrunder in Harda, India, and F. E. Stubbin in 
Damoh. Miss Thompson works among the women 
of Harda and in the villages round about; Mr. Stub- 
bin gives most of his time to the industrial school. 
The women of Ontario and of the Maritime Prov- 
inces support Miss Mary Rioch in Japan. This is a 
small part of what is done by the friends of the work 
in Canada. The Foreign Society is an international 
organization; its supporters are not confined to the 
United States. 

8. New Work. On the 24th day of October, 
1899, four missionaries left for Cuba. Their names 



The Period of Foreign Missions 447 

are Lowell C. McPlierson and wife, formerly of 
Buffalo, N. Y., and Melvin Menges and wife, for- 
merly of Stanford, 111. They go to Cuba to preach 
primitive Christianity. While mastering the lan- 
guage they will preach to the people in English. 
After they have gained sufficient knowledge to 
preach in Spanish they will attempt to reach the 
Cuban population. It is believed that Cuba is a 
most promising field. The priest-ridden people are 
ready to welcome those who come to them in the 
fullness of the blessing of the gospel of Christ. 
Lathrop Cooley has given the society $5,000 to help 
establish a mission in the Hawaiian Islands; there 
are over 30,000 Japanese on these islands. They 
are at work on the sugar and coffee plantations. 
Abram K. Cory, and wife, of Oskaloosa, Iowa, have 
been appointed to labor in that field. 

9. Literature. Quite a literature has grown up 
since the society was organized. Tracts and leaflets 
have been published and scattered by the million. 
In the Bethany C. E. Reading Courses there are 
three books on missions. One is entitled "A Hand- 
book of Missions;" this was prepared by the presi- 
dent. The other two are, "Mission Fields and 
Forces" and "Missionary Heroes;" both of these 
have been prepared by W. J. Lhamon, of Allegheny, 
!Pa. A volume of missionary addresses from the pen 
of the president has been published by the Christian 
Publishing Company, of St. Louis, Mo. A booklet 
on China has been written by W. R. Hunt; this 
gives some account of the people, their religions, 
their customs, their needs, and the missionary work 



448 Reformation of the Nineteenth Cent2i7y 

that has been done in China. The same writer has 
given the world a little work on "Evangelist Shi." 
James Ware, of Shanghai, has published a little book 
entitled, "A Peep into a Chinese lyibrary." Other 
books are in preparation and will appear in time. 

10. Tzvo Foreign Tours. One of the most dra- 
matic and memorable events connected with the 
work of the society was the sending of Isaac Errett, 
the then president, to the Holy Land for a season of 
rest and to gratify a long cherished desire on his 
part. Fifteen hundred dollars was contributed by 
his friends to defray expenses. The purse was pre- 
sented to him at the Kansas City Convention in a 
most felicitous and touching address by Prof. Rad- 
ford. The president was taken completely by sur- 
prise, his tears and broken utterances were more 
eloquent and more effective than any elaborated 
speech. Some months after, in company with Z. T. 
Sweeney, J. T. Toof, W. T. Moore, G. T. Smith 
and some other friends, he visited Egypt, Palestine, 
Asia Minor and the most interesting places in 
Europe. The trip was a great joy to Mr. Errett and 
his family and friends. It is probable that his strength 
was overtaxed and his life shortened by what his 
admirers intended for its enrichment and prolonga- 
tion. Another event similar in character was the 
sending of the corresponding secretary around the 
world to see the workers and their work. This 
action was taken at the convention in Richmond 
in 1894. Almost enough money was raised at the 
convention to pay the expenses of the tour. The 
next July he started; he was gone a year and a 



The. Period of Foreign Missions 449 

montli. On his tour he visited the Hawaiian 
Islands, Japan, China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Bur- 
mah, India, Ceylon, Australasia, Aden in Arabia, 
Egypt, Palestine, Syria, Cyprus, Asia Minor, Tur- 
key in Europe, Greece, Italy, Switzerland, Ger- 
many', Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Belgium, France 
and Great Britain. He wrote a series of letters de- 
scribing his experiences and the lands through which 
he passed. These letters were revised and published 
in a book entitled, "A Circuit of the Globe." 

II. The Chief Need of the Society, The most 
serious problem before the society is that of getting 
men to serve as evangelists. There is no lack of 
qualified and consecrated women; ten apply where 
one can be sent. There is no lack of medical mis- 
sionaries; the society can get twice as many as it 
needs. The most pressing need is that of men to 
preach the gospel. It took eight years to find a 
suitable man for Turkey. In the last year the secreta- 
ries searched the continent in vain for two or three 
evangelists. Men are needed in Japan and in India. 
They are needed for the new fields now open. It is 
difiicult to obtain them. There is no lack of men 
for the army and for the civil service. For every 
vacancy there are fifty/ applicants. It is not so in 
the case of the Foreign Society. When young men 
who are qualified volunteer, parents and friends 
oppose. There is no objection when young men 
offer to go to the Klondike or South Africa to 
dig for gold. When young men leave home to 
serve in the army or navy they are congratulated; 
their departure causes rejoicing on all sides. It is 

29 



450 Reformation of the Nineteenth Century 

hard enough to get money for the work; it is far 
harder to get men. The church needs to pray the 
Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his 
harvest. 

12. The Effect of the Foi^eign Society npon Our 
Other Work. The confident expectation that the 
work at home would be blessed and prospered be- 
cause of the efforts put forth to preach Christ where 
he had not been named has been abundantly justified. 
For twenty-five years we sought to carry on home 
work, without any foreign work. Our efforts ended 
in a dismal failure. For twenty-one years out of 
that time the churches gave less _than $10,000 
annually. For thirteen years out of the twenty-five 
they gave less than $5,000. For four 3'ears out of 
the twenty-five they gave less than $3,000. For two 
years they gave less than $2,000. Only once did 
they mount up to over $15,000; the next 3^ear they 
fell off almost one-half. As the work abroad has 
been prosecuted the work at home has flourished. 
It is not too much to claim that what has been done 
at home in the last two or three years has been made 
possible, in part at least, by what has been done to 
carry the gospel to all the ends of the earth. 
Twenty years after the Foreign Society was founded 
Robert Moffett said that the zeal for Foreign Mis- 
sions had multiplied the zeal for Home Missions 
everywhere. He saw the hand of God in the or- 
ganization of the Foreign Society. He saw how 
this created and fostered a spirit which is indeed 
the spirit of Christ, and which has been a spirit of 
life to preachers, Sunday-school workers and church 



The Period of Foreign Missions 451 

workers generally. "Wherever this broad missionary 
spirit has gone, and in the ratio in which it has 
been dominant, it has united discordant churches, 
it has lifted mind and heart above contention about 
small things, it has given new tone to the preaching, 
it has filled the church with a new and lasting fra- 
grance, it has organized workers and filled them with 
hope, it has helped in the education of the Disciples 
of Christ into Chrisllikeness. The Lord has been 
with the society, and the Foreign Society has been 
a benediction to all those who have prayed for and 
worked for its success/' 

The Lord has dealt graciously and bountifully with 
the society. He has raised up men to go out and 
has sent to the treasury the funds requisite to their 
support. He has strengthened our faith when it was 
weak and faint and ready to perish. By the success 
which has rewarded our feeble and faltering efforts 
he is calling us to go forward and to do far beyond 
anything which we have ever dared to imagine. 
We should respond eagerly and joyfully to his call. 
As has been said we should push our prows into all 
ports, and wherever there is a people sitting in dark- 
ness and the shadow of death, let the shout go up 
bursting through the valleys and sounding over the 
hills, "Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the 
waters; and he that hath no money, come ye, buy 
and eat; come, buy wine and milk, without money 
and without price!" 



Period of Woman's Work 



LOIS A. WHITE 



PERIOD OF WOMAN'S WORK. 



THE CHRISTIAN WOMAN'S BOARD OF 

MISSIONS. 

Then they that feared the Lord spake one with another; and 
the Lord hearkened, and heard, and a book of remembrance was 
written before him, for them that feared the Lord, and that 
thought upon his name. (MaL 3:16, R. V.) 

Not until "we shall be like him, because we shall 
see him as he is," will it be possible to read and 
comprehend the only complete, accurate history — 
the Lord's "book of remembrance" — of the speak- 
ing "one with another" of his people that he has 
used, not only to bring about the organization of the 
Christian Woman's Board of Missions, but to cher- 
ish and to advance its potency as a factor in the 
Lord's plan for the evangelization of the world. 
Woman's much-r»aligned wordiness, consecrated 
and trained for Christ, is used of the Lord in his 
service to the blessing of both the message giver and 
receiver. It is possible, however, from our imper- 
fectly written and read human records to gather 
some helpful lessons — some apples of gold for the 
"pictures of silver" in this Silver Anniversary Year 
of the association. 

THE CONSTRAINING POWER. 

Whether we were beside ourselves, it is unto God; or whether 
we are of sober mind, it is unto you. For the love of Christ con- 

(455) 



456 Reforjnation of the Nineteenth Century 

straineth us; because we thus judge, that One died for all, there- 
fore all died; and he died for all, that they which live should no 
longer live unto themselves, but unto him who for their sakes 
died and rose again. (2 Cor. 5: 13-15.) 

Decades of history may be marked off distinctly 
by dates on a calendar. In every phase of that 
which occupies them they will blend. It was in the 
hither half of the second decade before the Christian 
Woman's Board of Missions had generally taken as 
its motto: "The love of Christ constraineth us." 
Now it will ever abide and lead because of its adop- 
tion being so well founded on truth, as shown by the 
history of the association. 

Many months if not years before its organization 
the twofold cord of the constraining love of Christ 
was drawing from far and near those who were to be 
its members and intelligent advocates. 

Formally speaking, the Christian Woman's Board 
of Missions is an association having for its object 
the maintaining of preachers and teachers for relig- 
ious instruction, the encouraging and cultivating a 
missionary spirit and missionary efforts in the 
churches, the disseminating of missionary intelli- 
gence and the securing of systematic contributions 
for missionary purposes; and also the establishing 
and maintaining of educational institutions. Organ- 
ized, however, as it was, in faith in our Heavenly 
Father, it is a tree of his planting. I^ike all things 
planted under divine guidance and blessing, it pos- 
sesses those elements of growth which carry results 
far beyond anything that could have been even dimly 
outlined in the vision of the servants directed to 
plant and water. 



Period of Woman'' s Work 457 

Viewing the Christian Woman's Board of Missions 
in the light of a superstructure, erected on divine 
foundation, we can well say that the seventy-five 
women who organized it in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 
October, 1874, "builded better than they knew." 

The matchless love of Christ that, along with the 
mercy of God, led to repentance all who have entered 
his kingdom, constrained his handmaidens to con- 
template and draw near to this Savior, who even 
counted not his life dear that he might redeem unto 
himself "a peculiar people, zealous of good works." 
In the passing years of service the divine relation- 
ship has been strengthened until Christ's followers, 
in responding to his love for us, have a warm enough 
love for him to be a constraining influence upon us 
to no longer live unto ourselves, but unto Him who 
for our sakes died and rose again. 

In the variety of statistics that may be considered 
as tabulating the make-up of this board and the 
record of the labors progressing under its auspices, 
never forget that the vivifying power is expressed in 
the bit of God's Word which is our motto: "The 
love of Christ constraineth us." 

Up to a quarter of a century ago perhaps no relig- 
ious body held more conservative views than ours in 
regard to the participation of women in the work or 
services of the church, nor more fully conformed its 
practice to those ideas. Without any creed-article 
on the subject, there was a universal custom of pro- 
hibition. Here and there a woman ripe in years and 
godliness and wisdom offered a prayer in devotional 
meetings; here and there, among the churches, was 



458 Reformation of the NiJieteeiith Century 

a woman's prayer-meeting; but further than this 
nothing was expected of women, nothing desired by 
them. But women's missionary societies had ap- 
peared among our religious neighbors and were 
being observed with interest by some among us. 
That may, in some measure, account for the women 
taking up the work. 

The cause for divine enterprise of this kind 
appealing to them is not difficult to trace. The 
first General Missionary Convention of the Disciples 
had for its recorded purpose, "A more general and 
efficient co-operation in the Bible cause, in the mis- 
sionary cause, in the education cause." The call 
said: "lyCt the brethren from different parts of the 
United States come together, cultivate each oth- 
er's acquaintance, and in fear of the Lord consider 
the welfare of Zion and the means to be employed 
in extending the boundaries of the Messiah's king- 
dom." Those responding assembled in the Chris- 
tian church at the corner of Eighth and Walnut 
Streets. That was the home of one of the oldest, 
strongest and most historic congregations in the 
Reformation, and the mother church in Cincinnati. 
The city itself was then, geographically and in other 
respects, the center of our brotherhood. It is said 
the sort of men who, with intelligence and zeal and 
full of the best aims and hopes, inaugurated this 
great assembly, who executed so well its high task 
and gave by their action enduring form and life to 
our great, world-wide enterprises in the Gospel, 
were the most perfect embodiments, in every sense, 
of our great plea. Is it strange that the more than 



Period of lVoma?t^s Work 459 

one hundred and fifty men of that class, from eleven 
States, representing considerably over one hundred 
churches, should become in their families, congrega- 
tions and wide circles of influence, the zealous sow- 
ers of the seed that in twenty-five years was to bring 
the organization of the Christian Woman's Board of 
Missions? C. L. Ivoos wrote of one 1849 attendant: 
^'What a man was Henry D. Palmer, whose advo- 
cacy in Tennessee of Apostolic Christianity ante- 
dates the Campbells, endowed with a bravery and a 
spirit of sacrifice that rank him among the noblest 
of men. He was a man of God, whose like we sel- 
dom see; great in wisdom, eminent in piety, won- 
drously consecrated in all his being by a life-long 
study, fully conversant with the doctrine of Christ, 
mighty, singularly eloquent, often, as a preacher." 
A granddaughter of the man thus endowed and con- 
secrated, Mrs. O. A. Burgess, was the first treasurer 
of the Christian Woman's Board of Missions, and is 
now its president. 

In lyouisville, twenty years after that wonderful 
convention, whose chief object was the organization 
of a general, world-embracing missionary enterprise, 
was urged the incorporation in the new "plan" of a 
provision for such a system of auxiliaries for women 
as existed in the denominations. But though it was 
done, the object passed out of sight and mind, I 
opine, because it was not the fullness of time for the 
lyord's plan, the Christian Woman's Board of Mis- 
sions, formed with distinctly separate lines of organ- 
ization, while gratefully acknowledging the strongest 



460 Refor7natio7i of the JVmeteenth Century 

of Christian family ties and the source of impelling 
influence to world-wide evangelism. 

ORIGIN OF THE ORGANIZATION. 

None but the recording angel can reveal the 
names of all who were thinking and praying about 
this matter. Human registration can only select 
one here and there. In writing the historical sketch 
of this board, Miss Klmira J. Dickinson, Eureka, 
111., who was so interested in the work and conver- 
sant therewith as to have organized in her own town 
a local missionary society before there was a national 
association to which it could be auxiliary, states: 
"The inaugurator of organized missionary work 
among the women of the Church of Christ is Mrs. 
Caroline N. Pearre." Of the beginnings of this 
matter Sister Pearre herself testifies: "On the loth 
of April, 1874, about ten o'clock in the morning, at 
the close of my private devotions, the thought came 
to me. I promptly conferred with Bro. Munnell, 
corresponding secretary of ^>he General Missionary 
Convention. He responded at once: 'This is a flame 
of the Lord? s kindling, and no man can extinguish 
it.' I then began to write letters to our ladies, from 
whom I received favorable answers." 

Near the middle of May Mrs. Pearre organized a 
society in her home church in Iowa City, Iowa. 
About that time a letter that she had written con- 
cerning it to Mrs. J. K. Rogers was sent to J. H. 
Garrison, who published it in his paper. The Chris- 
tian^ with an editorial fervently commending it to 
his readers. 



Period of Woma7i^ s Work 461 

In a visit that Isaac Errett made to Iowa City in 
June, he talked the matter all over with Mrs. Pearre 
and was so thoroughly interested as to write a vigor- 
ous leader entitled, "Help Those Women," and sent 
it for the next issue of his paper, the Christian Stan- 
dard. It was his proposition that the sisters hold a 
convention on the following October (at the same 
time with the General Convention at Cincinnati) to 
organize a Woman's Missionary Board. Through 
the columns of the Standard and the Christian this 
w^as kept before the people and the arrangements 
made. 

The response to this call brought together about 
seventy-five sisters, at whose meeting Mrs. R. R. 
Sloan, of Ohio, presided. After a full explanation 
of the purpose of this meeting, by Mrs. Pearre, and 
the presentation of plans for future work, the matter 
was very prayerfully and fervently considered. The 
following day the constitution was adopted, and 
thus on October 22, 1874, was organized the Chris- 
tian Woman's Board of Missions, with headquarters 
located in Indianapolis, and national officers chosen 
from that locality, h. few years later the associa- 
tion was incorporated under the laws of the State of 
Indiana. 

AIM AND SPIRIT OF THE ORGANIZATION. 

The national officers elected were, president, Mrs. 
Maria Jameson; recording secretary, Mrs. Sarah 
Wallace; corresponding secretary, Mrs. C. N. Pearre; 
treasurer, Mrs. O. A. Burgess. 

The constitution adopted, besides providing for a 



462 Reformatio7i of the Nineteenth Ceiitury 

national executive committee and its gruidance, 
stated: "Any number of women contributing annu- 
ally may form a society auxiliary to the Christian 
Woman's Board of Missions." Thus at the very 
beginning of the association provision was made for 
that dual work which is of God — development of 
Christian character in its members and sustaininsf 
workers in mission fields. The following, from the 
message of the first president to her first executive 
committee meeting sets this forth: 

"i\s little, insignificant rivulets from unnoticed, 
hidden springs, running together make the constant 
larger stream, which hurrying on with swollen wa- 
ters bears its steady contribution to the great river, 
so will the mites of the poor widow and the pennies 
of the children and the dollars of the salaried women 
and the larger sums of those of independent incomes, 
flowing together make one great stream pouring 
iorth to water and refresh the fields of missionary 
labor. 

"To find and set in motion the smaller sources of 
means is a special object with us; partly because in a 
country like ours where few are very rich and as few 
are abjectly poor, it is the most natural and efficient 
w^ay to raise money, and partly, that all may share 
it. the reactive benefit that comes to those who con- 
tribute to a good cause. By a most admirable and 
beneficent arrangement of Providence the poor can 
have equal experience with the rich of that remark- 
able saying of the Master: 'It is more blessed to 
give than to receive,' for in his service, unlike that 
01 man's, we receive immediate reward, not accord- 
ing to the amount of labor expended nor in propor- 
tionate percent, upon money invested, but according 
to the spirit of self-sacrifice and devotion that 



Period of Wonia^i' s Work 463 

prompts the offering. He who alone knows the 
hearts of the children of men will give each one a 
just reward. This also suggests the answer to a 
common question: 'How much is it my duty to do 
for this great work?' Christ alone can answer. 
It is his own work. He calls to us individually, 
teaching us in this as he does in almost everything, 
by parable and example rather than by direct pre- 
cept. Pointing to his own life of toil and deprivation 
he says in tones of strangely mingled entreaty and 
command: 'If any man will come after me, let him 
deny himself and take up his cross and follow me;' 
and again: 'He that loveth father or mother, sou 
or daughter, more than me is not worthy of me.' 
Our neighbor cannot judge for us. We have only to 
account to and satisfy Him who knows perfectly our 
circumstances, ability and hindrances." 

Before leaving Cincinnati in October, 1874, it was 
reported the treasury contained ^430. A resolution 
was passed to invest all money received until enough 
accumulated to send a missionary to Jamaica. • 

The acquirement of informed minds and grateful en- 
listed hearts was earnestly sought in the full confidence 
that such would delight themselves in the law of the 
Lord and so discharge their stewardship as to place 
in this treasury the portion of his money he wished 
thus used. The last recommendation in a commit- 
tee report, presented in the convention of 1875, 
clearly bespeaks the purpose and controlling spirit in 
the work: 

"It is recommended that we ourselves as individ- 
uals give more attention to reading whatever will 
elevate and encourage a missionary spirit in our own 
hearts and that we gather all the information possible 



464 Reformation of the Nineteenth Ceiitury 

upon the subject, so as to make ourselves magazines 
of intelligence; that we consecrate ourselves more 
entirely to God and to his service; that we practice 
more self-denial, spend less upon our tastes and 
appetites (for dress and for luxuries) and devote the 
money thus saved to the missionary fund, over and 
above what we as members of the society have 
pledged ourselves to contribute annually." 

By the adoption of the report these sentiments 
were made the voice of the Christian Woman's Board 
of Missions. Is it not well to recall this now, if at 
all inclined to think that the payment of 10 cents 
per month fulfills all obligations? A committee 
upon "Best Methods of Raising Money" reported in 
the same convention: 

"While this committee advises the adoption of all 
legitimate means for raising money and realizes this 
matter must be left to the discretion of each congre- 
gation, we recommend above all, the regular monthly 
contribution as best calculated to perpetuate our 
interests and inspire our zeal." 

JAMAICA, FIRST MISSION FIEI.D. 

The Christian Woman's Board of Missions is 
neither a home nor foreign society alone. x\s far as 
practicable those terms are absent from its nomen- 
clature. It tries to stand close enough to the side of 
our Savior to obtain his view of the value of a soul 
as such, regardless of nationality and the clime in 
which it dwells. "The field is the world," and the 
reaching of all parts of it with the gospel is limited 
only by lack of men and women and funds for the 
prosecution of the work. For convenience in desig- 



Period of Womaii^ s Work 465 

nation each section of the world-field, taken up for 
cultivation, is called a field. The first one of these 
to be entered was the island of Jamaica, upon which 
decision was made at the time of the organization of 
the association. The treasurer's report in October, 
1875, sliowed ^1,439.23 in bank. This sum seem- 
ing to justify the employment of a missionary, W. 
H. Williams, of Platte City, Mo., was chosen, and on 
the 29th day of January, 1876, sailed from New York 
with his wife and child. He went to the field that 
had been chosen because the Christian Woman's 
Board of Missions felt called to send a shepherd to 
those small congregations organized in Jamaica by 
J. O. Beardslee that had been without a pastor ever 
since the American Christian MiSvSionary Society 
had been unable to continue his support. Reaching 
Kingston February 5, Bro. Williams received a cor- 
dial welcome. He preached next day to about 
thirty in the' old, dark, leaky, unpainted chapel on 
Church street. About three years later he wrote 
concerning A. S. Darby, employed as teacher in the 
school at Oberlin: 

"Bro. Darby is doing exactly the work required, 
and it is at once a culmination of our plan and 
prophecy, and pledge of success. Competent na- 
tives, doing the work among their own people, is 
what we hope one day to see everywhere, and now 
realize in his case. He and another black boy 
obeyed the gospel upon hearing the first sermon I 
preached in Jamaica." 

At the beginning of his ministry there Bro. Will- 
iams found in Kingston about fifty Disciples still 
30 



466 Reformation of the Ninetee^tth Century 

faithful, all colored or black, poor, and most of 
them very poor. Most of the congregations in the 
country had ceased meeting, but a good many individ- 
ual members remained faithful. The period from 
this time to the close of the first decade of the Chris- 
tian Woman's Board of Missions in 1884, saw, not 
rapid but steady, substantial growth. Only a part 
of the elements and workers therein can be noted. 
The teaching set forth that hand in hand with con- 
version and church membership must be taken up 
the duty and habit of systematic giving to the 
Lord's cause. Almost without exception the mem- 
bers pledged the payment of a specified sum weekly 
toward the current expenses and the repairs on the 
property that were needed immediately. Some 
young men sought Bro. Williams' directing and 
rendered him regular assistance in the prayer-meet- 
i-ngs, teachers' meetings, Sunday-schools, preaching 
in various parts of the city and in visiting from 
house to house, in which he was constantly engaged. 
One of these was James Tilley, a young English 
merchant who had been raised in London and con- 
verted by C. H. Spurgeon, under whom he became 
an active worker. Within a few months after hear- 
ing Bro. Williams preach Bro. Tilley, who had been 
living in Jamaica about two years, united with us 
and went vigorously to work in schools and cottage 
prayer-meetings, and also in studying the Word 
with a view to preaching. He gave up his business 
and offered himself for mountain work. In March, 
1878, he was located at Oberlin to labor under the 
direction of the board, which agreed to pay him 



Period of IVoman'^ s Work 467 

$250 per year for a term of three years. In the 
spring of 1879, on account of the failing health of 
his wife, Bro. Williams returned to the states. Bro. 
Tilley then took charge in Kingston, receiving $250 
addition to his former salary. Isaac Tomlinson hav- 
ing been sent from the states in 1880 to follow W. 
H. Williams in the Kingston work, Bro. Tilley re- 
turned to Oberlin. The record shows him, in 188 1 , in 
charge of Bitoe and Mt. Zion, where he had organized 
Sunday-schools. He made occasional visits to Ober- 
lin, where Bro. Tomlinson had rebuilt the chapel. 
Bro. Tilley was in the employ of the Christian Wo- 
man's Board of Missions till 1884, when he came to 
America to take a course of Bible study and in a 
few years died here. 

A young woman from Indianapolis, Ind., was 
presented to the National Christian Woman's Board 
of Missions, in Cincinnati, in October, 1878. The 
president said concerning her: "Jennie G. Laugh- 
lin goes to open a school in Kingston. * * * * 
She goes also as a missionary to the women of that 
island, who are sorely needing such teaching, 
advice and companionship as she is able to give 
them." Her school opened with 125 pupils of all 
ages, grades and colors. Patiently and faithfully 
did Miss Laughlin conduct the school, relying on 
divine strength in the difficulties of the pioneer 
period of an enterprise; but in 1880 wrote her decis- 
ion to return home on account of failing health. 
Her death occurred Sept. 27, 1881. 

Upon hearing Miss lyaughlin must leave Jamaica 
the board employed Marian Perkins to go to King- 



468 Refonnation of the Nineteenth ' Century 

ston as teacher in the training school, to sail Sept. 
28. The committee on Jamaica work presented in 
the 1881 National Christian Woman's Board of Mis- 
sions Convention: "Miss Perkins' school has lately 
passed examination on a very good grade, receiving 
$123 grant from the government." Her resignation, 
which was presented to the board in December, 
1 88 1, was accepted with a request that it should not 
go into effect until the beginning of the coming year, 
that we might not forfeit the government grant by 
dropping the school before that time. 

Bro. Tomlinson, who had resigned his Jamaica 
work for Nov. i, 1881, was requested to extend the 
time to Jan. i, 1882. 

December 10, 1881, W. K. Azbill, Louisville^ 
Ky., accepted the call to take the Kingston work 
and sailed Feb. 3, 1882. At that time we had in 
Jamaica, besides the Kingston Church, four country 
churches and four out-stations, with about 700 mem- 
bers; also several Sunday-schools and day schools. 
Not far from this time the Kingston congregation 
remaved from the old Church Street chapel to its 
present home, 70 Duke Street. 

OTHER FIELDS. 

In 1880 this board appropriated ^750 salary for 
Miss Crease, assistant to Mrs. Delaunay, of the 
French mission, in charge of the Foreign Christian 
Missionary Society. In 1881 it appropriated ^500 
for this assistant, and ^500 also for an assistant for 
Prof. Delaunay. In April, 1881, it employed Elder 



Pej'-iod of Woman'' s Work 469 



and Mrs. Faiirot to labor among the freemen at 
Jackson, Miss. 

The corresponding secretary in the annual report 
presented in October, 1878, stated: 

"A feeling of almost restless anxiety to undertake 
more than we are doing at present is manifested. 
With the growth of our society and the increasing 
zeal of those most actively engaged, we feel sure, 
with added diligence, of being able in a few months 
to extend our labors in some other direction, besides 
carrying on the Jamaica work." 

In October, 1881, the Christian Woman's Board of 
Missions and the Foreign Christian Missionary Soci- 
ety decided to co-operate in establishing a mission in 
India. In September, 1882, the company sailed. 
We sent four young women, Ada Boyd, Mary Kings- 
bury, Mary Graybiel and lyaura V. Kinsey. G. L. 
Wharton and Iv. Norton and their wives were sent 
by the Foreign Board. They located at Hurda, 
Central Provinces. 

What is now well known as "the Western work" 
of the Christian Woman's Board of Missions had at 
the convention of 1881, possibly its first impetus in 
an address upon "Mission Fields in the West," 
written by Isaac Krrett (in his enforced absence de- 
livered by A. I. Hobbs), followed by the president's 
most earnest appeal for such work, and recommend- 
ation that it soon be opened. 

The first permanent work undertaken by our 
board in the homeland was in Montana. In 1882 
our only two churches in that territory, at Helena 
and Deer Lodge, under the leadership of Wm. L. 



470 Reformation of the Ninetee7tth Century 

Irvine and Massena Bullard, proposed to the board 
that they would raise $i,ooo provided we would 
furnish an additional ^i,ooo, to put an evangelist in 
the field. 

J. Z. Taylor went for six months, beginning June 
I, 1883. He recommended that the work be divided 
between two men, giving Helena to one and Deer 
lyodge and Butte City to the other, as these two dis- 
tricts lay upon different sides of a mountain range. 
In October, 1883, M. ly. Streator and Galen Wood, 
both of Ohio, took 'charge of the Helena and Deer 
lyodge churches respectively. Neither had a church 
building, but each congregation met in a court- 
house. Helena had thirty-eight members. Deer 
Ivodge forty-three. Bach congregation proceeded to 
build a house of worship the next year. Also, in 
1884 congregations were organized and church 
houses were begun in Corvallis and Anaconda, with 
W. D. lycar minister at the former and J. L. Phoe- 
nix at the latter place, and preaching was begun at 
several other points. 

In May, 1877, the board decided to preserve all 
life-membership payments as a permanent fund, the 
interest on which should not be used for five years. 
The following month John S. Duncan, Indianapolis, 
was elected trustee for this fund. The first life 
membership certificates were issued to Mrs. H. Goe 
and Miss Rosa Goe in April, 1878. In October, 
1879, the endowment fund from life-memberships 
was reported $1,020.50 loaned out. Two years later 
the interest upon the endowment fund was dedicated 
permanently to the support of heathen missions. 



Period of Woniaii^ s Work 471 

MISSIONARY TIDINGS BEGUN. 

Until 1883 we had no literature of our own, either 
permanent or current. True, the editors of our 
church papers from the first gave us freest use of 
their columns for the promotion of our work, and 
these favors were gratefully accepted, but a paper 
wholly devoted to our mission interests had been 
greatly needed all the time. Lack of means pre- 
vented our starting it until in May of this year, when 
the first number of the Missionary Tidings was issued, 
edited by Mrs. M. M. B. Goodwin. It was a small, 
four-page monthly paper. Mrs. Goodwin's health 
so failed during the summer that she resigned in Sep- 
tember following, and a publication committee, Mrs. 
L. A. Moore and Mrs. S. E. Shortridge, w^ere placed 
in charge of it. 

ENUSTING THE YOUNG. 

This board, divinely designed to inaugurate in the 
Christian brotherhood teaching missions and train- 
ing in missionary effort on behalf of our bo3'S and 
girls, early felt the guiding of the Spirit. At our 
National Convention in Louisville, Ky., October, 
1875, ^ committee on "Best Methods of Cultivating 
a Missionary Spirit and Disseminating Missionary 
Intelligence" reported: "In order to cultivate a 
missionary spirit, we regard it of prime importance 
that we begin with the young. We, therefore, rec- 
ommend the adoption of a system of regular contri- 
butions for missionary purposes in all our Sunday- 
schools, either by missionary boxes or by setting 
apart one contribution every month. . . . This 



472 Reformation of the Xiiieteenth Century 

plan is recommended liere upon the ground of the 
influence of systematic^ self-denyiyig beiievolence upo?i 
mind and heart. ' ' The first national superintendent 
of children's work of the Christian Woman's Board 
of Missions, Mrs. Joseph King, Allegheny, Pa., 
says: ''Very soon after the organization of the 
Christian Woman's Board of Missions many of its 
members, seeing the great blessing it was proving -to 
be in cultivating the spiritual and intellectual life of 
our sisters, felt that we must add to the first object 
of its oro^anization the dutv of educatino- the voungr 
people of our churches in mission work — not only 
for the sake of perpetuating and extending the in- 
fluence of this society, but for the more important 
one of developing the religious nature of the children 
and gi\4ng them an intelligent interest in the great 
work that has been opened up to the church in this 
last quarter of the nineteenth century. Circles and 
bands were organized as opportunity offered, but it 
was not until ten years had passed that it was taken 
up as a special work." 

At the Missouri State Convention in 1884, Mrs. 
Eastin, Mrs. King and M. Lucilla Payne had several 
conferences on the subject and, after earnest prayer, 
decided to lay the matter before the National Con- 
vention, to meet in St. Louis the following week. 
This was done by [Miss Payne. The convention 
elected ^Irs. King for national superintendent and 
directed the work begun; but it was February, 1885, 
before the constitution was ready for distribution, 
and in the Missionary Tidings of that month ap- 
peared the first letter of the national superintendent. 



Period of Womaii^ s Work 473 

The response was immediate and enthusiastic. Of 
the twenty-eight mission bands organized before 
October i, the one at Morris X Roads, Pa., reported 
first. Contributions from bands amounted, to that 
date, to I147.03. The report for i889-'90 stated the 
bands numbered 447, and the contributions in that 
year were $4,927.76; i894-'95, bands, circles and 
contributing Junior Christian Endeavor Societies 
together numbered 670, and contributions amounted 
to $5,548.61 in the Builders' Fund; i898-'99 bands 
and Intermediate and Junior Christian Endeavor So- 
cieties together numbered 999 organizations contri- 
buting to the Christian Woman's Board of Missions, 
and receipts to the Builders' Fund totaled 19,157.54. 
Besides the words of the first national superintend- 
ent, already quoted, showing her estimate, and that 
of the board, of "the weightier matters of the law" — 
the cultivation of the child in those thoughts and 
deeds that obey the command to "seek first the 
kingdom of God and his righteousness" — the second 
national superintendent, Mrs. J. C. Black, testified 
to the same truth. 

By funds raised through our Young People's 
Department, buildings have been erected in Japan, 
the United States, India and Jamaica to the num- 
ber of twenty-five, comprising chapels, bungalows, 
school-houses and hospital and orphanage buildings. 
When a portion of these had been put up Mrs. 
Black wrote in 1895: "Valuable to our Master's 
service as are these buildings, resulting from the 
financial consecration of our young people, fully as 
precious in his sight must be the reflex benefits 



474 Reformation of the Nineteenth Centiiry 

upon the soul development of those called the 'I^ittle 
Builders' of the Christian Woman's Board of Mis- 
sions. The superstructure of their Christian char- 
acters, builded upon the Rock, contains the possi- 
bilities of personal salvation and of the perpetuation 
and development of all the varied church activities 
in the homeland. The scope of the women's work 
as a developing power is manifested in the indi- 
vidual lives of the members of our earlier organiza- 
tions, who are efficient Junior Christian Endeavor 
and mission band superintendents, Endeavor offi- 
cials, Sunday-school teachers and practical w^orkers 
in all lines of local church work. . . This de- 
partment includes the child in the homeland from 
the time of its first knowledge of a needy world and 
a bountiful God to the time when that same indi- 
vidual becomes a dispenser of God's bounty to the 
physically, mentally and spiritually needy ones who 
may be reached by individual or organized work 
throughout the whole wide world which must be 
redeemed for Christ. In foreign lands it includes 
the helpless children until the time when they can ^ 
carry the light into the dark homes." 

The third national superintendent, Mattie Pounds, 
who has served in that office since 1896, wrote in 
her last annual report: "The psalmist admonished 
Israel that they 'shew to the generation to come the 
praises of the Lord and his strength and his wonder- 
ful works that he hath done. . . . That the 
generation to come might know these things, that 
they might set their hope in God and not forget the 
work of God, but keep his coTmnandments ; and 



Peinod of Women's Work 475 

mieht not be as their fathers, a stubborn and rebel- 
lions generation.' The desire to further so all-im- 
portant a purpose actuated some of our sisters to 
undertake this work, so greatly blessed from the 
beginning by our God and Father. . . . The 
superintendents of bands and societies, those who 
have met with the children week by week during 
month after month , and have patiently trained them 
for efficient service^ have been the chiefest work- 
ers. . . . The boys and girls have willingly 
and gladly given part and sometimes all of their lit- 
tle store that the children in benighted lands might 
be blessed. Into their giving have often entered a 
devotion and self-denial of which their elders, in 
their larger offerings, have known nothing. And 
the work will surely have the approval and the 
blessing of Him who still observes what is cast into 
the treasury." Two years ago the motto, "We for 
Christ: Christ for all," was adopted for the Young 
People's Department of the Christian Woman's 
Board of Missions. From the publishing of the 
national superintendent's first letter in February, 
1885, already mentioned, the Missionary Tidings 
contained a department that subserved the interests 
of our children's work as best it could. 

JUNIOR BUII.DERS STARTED. 

To meet the needs of this growing child the 
Christian Woman's Board of Missions began with 
the issue for May, 1890, the publication of the Little 
Builders at Work^ an eight-page monthly paper, 
devoted to our Young People's Department. From 



476 Reformation of the Nineteenth Century 

the first it lias been an illustrated magazine contain- 
ing letters from our missionaries and the bands, arti- 
cles about the places where work was being done 
with the money from the children, and meeting pro- 
grams, with helps for the same. With May, 1896, 
the name became the Junior Builders. The num- 
ber of pages has been several times increased. In 
her last annual report ]\Iiss Pounds wrote: 

"The Junior Bzcilders^ the official organ of the 
department, with the October issue (our convention 
number), came out in a new dress, and now hopes 
to be considered a thing of beauty. It has been in- 
creased from sixteen to twenty-four pages, without 
increasing the subscription price. The four pages 
additional to those ordered by the last convention 
were a necessity, if little stories on the topics for the 
meetings and short exercises were to be published, 
for both of which there was great demand. Though 
the paper is far from self-supporting, yet through its 
influence is secured the larger part of the offerings 
for the missionary work in which the young people 
are engaged." 

MISSIONARY LITERATURE. 

Our first president wrote: "There are clearly 
enunciated three prominent objects existing in the 
minds of the founders of the society. First. The 
habit of systematic giving, which was to be not only 
of practical benefit to all church enterprises, but 
also a spiritual benefit to individuals. Second. The 
training of the 3^oung in order that the next genera- 
tion may devise infinitely greater things, and bring 
to God an infinitely richer, fuller, more joyful serv- 
ice than this has attained to. Third. The dissemi- 



Period of Woman'' s Work 477 

nation of missionary literature — the light to dispel 
in minds of Christians ignorance and doubts aiid 
objections as to God's will and our duty toward the 
world." She discerned an effort in the last-named 
object and the germ of our Leaflet Department in 
the following portion of a committee report read in 
the 1875 annual convention: "To endeavor to bring 
missionary intelligence into the hands of every 
woman and child in all of our churches, of such a 
nature and in such a form that they will be induced 
to read it, we recommend that circular letters or 
tracts be prepared and addressed to women in all our 
churches to create a spirit of inquiry as to what we 
are doing; and that we take measures to have in- 
teresting missionary matter in all our periodicals — 
such as incidents in heathen lands calculated to 
awaken interest in and sympathy for people without 
the Bible, and items of intelligence with regard to 
the successful missionary labors of other churches." 
Of the one hundred or more varieties of leaflet liter- 
ature that the Board has issued, numbering from 
50 to 25,000 copies of a variety, some of the very 
earliest were written by Joseph King. Mrs. King, 
Mrs. Atkinson and Mrs. Shortridge were especially 
active in starting that branch of work which was 
conducted from the King home in Allegheny City 
from 1885 until 1889, after the Board was settled 
in its office at 160 North Delaware Street, Indian- 
apolis, and I had gone there to assist Mrs. Short- 
ridge. Now stockroom and cabinet shelves are 
crowded with this blessed seed-sowing material, of 
which thousands of packages are being mailed each 



478 Reformation of the Nineteenth Century 

year to local society, district and State workers. 
How many a "Bishop's Conversion" has been 
effected through this means is known only to the 
"bishops" themselves and the one who is our Mas- 
ter. Some of the publications, like Miss Payne's 
"Historical Sketch," Mrs. Christian's "Christian 
Woman's Board of Missions Manual," C. C. Smith's 
"Jamaica Mission," and Miss Dickinson's "His- 
torical Sketch," attained almost to the rank of 
booklets. There is no question about that name 
being applied to the Junior Christian Endeavor 
Manual and the Junior Song Book, prepared by Miss 
Pounds and Mrs. Jessie Brown Pounds. 

HOUR OF PRAYER. 

The service of the Christian Woman's Board of 
Missions, divinely committed to His handmaidens 
while at the throne of mercy their hearts pleaded, 
"Lord, what wilt Thou have me do?" has ever been 
bound to the throne by chains of prayer. In the 
May, 1875, board meeting Mrs. Pearre called atten- 
tion to the fact that the close of the second quarter of 
that first missionary year had been reached. Summing 
up what had been accomplished, as a cause for en- 
couragement, she urged a more prayerful consecration 
of ourselves; suggesting that all members of the 
society, far and near, be requested to spend the hour 
of the regular monthly meeting in prayer. While 
that was not nationally appointed, its thought aided 
in preparing the way for the adoption of our "Hour 
of Prayer" from 5 to 6 P. M. every Lord's day, the 



Period of Woman'' s Work ' 479 

call to which has graced the editorial column of the 
Missionary Tidings about ten years. Mrs. Burgess, 
at Allegheny City, in 1891, in her first national con- 
vention as president, gave in her address the account 
of our "Hour of Prayer:" "None knew better 
than the sainted Joseph King the blessing that 
comes to the Christian through communion with 
God. He was truly a man of faith. He walked and 
talked with God. * * * * in the Tidings of July, 
r887, under the head, 'A Timely Suggestion,' are 
these words from his pen: 'In order to succeed 
in missionary work it is necessary that we read, 
think and pray. By reading we become intelligent; 
by thinking wx digest what w^e read and make it a 
part of our mental and moral constitution; by prayer 
we set forces in operation and bring about results, 
without which all else is vain. Would it not be well 
for the executive committee to fix upon and name a 
day and hour each week for prayer, when all whose 
hearts move them to pray may retire to their 
closets and make united supplication for the cause 
of missions, for missionaries and their work, and the 
churches? The improvement of such an hour as 
suggested would be a means of incalculable good. 
What an inspiration to our missionaries to know 
that on a certain hour in every week thousands pray 
for them. And above all, it would make glad the 
heart of Christ.' At our national convention the 
following October, 5 o'clock Sunday evening of 
each week was set apart as the hour. * * * Do we 
ever think how Jesus spent whole nights in commun- 
ion with his Father and our Father? Do we call to 



480 Reformation of the Nineteenth Century 

mind Gethsemane, in which Jesus, with his great 
heart crushed under the load of our guilt, uttered his 
thrice repeated prayer, closing with, 'Not my will but 
thine be done'? If there was comfort for the Son 
of God in such an hour may not we, his followers, 
hope for comfort and blessings from the same eternal 
source? * * * * As one by one our missionaries 
have gone out, so far as I remember in every instance 
the last request as they looked into our faces was, 
'Pray for us.' We know that means a great deal, 
and let us take our vow this day that we will observe 
that hour in our closets and on our knees if so cir- 
cumstanced that we can, but under all circumstan- 
ces that we will bear the missionaries and their work 
up before God. And do not forget your executive 
committee, that thev mav have wisdom from above 
in the duties that come to them." Small wonder, 
under such teaching and practice, that the Christian 
Woman's Board of Missions was led, three years ago, 
to adopt an annual Kaster week of prayer and thank- 
offerings, and was ready to heartily join, in 1898, with 
the other mssionary boards in a call to the churches 
for a monthly concert of prayer for missions. 

ANN ARBOR BIBI.E CHAIR. 

An issue of the Ann Arbor (Mich.) Evening 
Times^ early in 1898, stated: "In the south side 
room of the brick house, just dismantled, on the cor- 
ner of State St. and N. University Ave., then occu- 
pied by Dr. Arndt, at that time dean of the Homeo- 
pathic Medical College, there gathered, on a Sunday 



Period of Woman'' s Work 481 

afternoon in the winter of 1887, a little company 
of less than a dozen to hold a simple service and 
make arrangements for regular meetings. None of 
them were rich; most of them were students, except 
the Doctor and two mothers of students, but all were 
enthusiastic Disciples and several were old teachers, 
accustomed to religious work at home. lyater they 
occupied the Congregational parlors, with meetings 
at 4:30 Sunday afternoons, throughput the college 
year. Vacations found those students in their vari- 
ous home churches stirring up an interest for their 
Ann Arbor mission, till in October, 1891, lo! the 
dedication of the commodious chapel, so much ad- 
mired, on the south side of the campus, and a regular 
pastor. All this had been secured through the aid 
of the Christian Woman's Board of Missions of that 
church at large. ' ' ^ tablet in that chapel, inscribed: 
"In memory of Sarah Hawley Scott, departed Feb- 
ruary, 1887," indicates the source of the major part 
of the money used in its erection* The bequests from 
Mrs. Scott to the American Christian Missionary 
Society, the Michigan State Missionary Society and 
the Detroit Auxiliary were paid to the Christian 
Woman's Board of Missions to unite with its own 
and put up this building. These bequests realized 
a total of 110,719.95. The remainder of the ^17,000 
expended for the entire property was made up by 
special contributions almost equally divided between 
the Michigan Disciples and the members of aux- 
iliaries in other states. The board also made a 
direct appropriation of $692, covering insurance and 

entire furnishing, including heating apparatus. This 
31 



482 Reformation of the Nineteenth Century 

house with a seating capacity of 600 stands on S. 
University Ave., overlooking the university campus 
and facing the Museum of Natural History. It is 
thus on a thoroughfare constantly traversed by 
crowds of students and visitors. It is proving a high- 
way for the gospel to the nations. Although the 
"dozen" mentioned in that first group now count a 
church membership of 208, the last three years re- 
ceiving 75 by baptism — a far larger per cent, of gain, 
by conversions than has been made by the larger 
and older churches of the city — the make-up de- 
scribed in '87 is true to-day — not rich, but enthusi- 
astic Disciples. It is a mission church, only the 
last year paying an installment on preacher's salary, 
but they are faithful and generous to meet heavy 
current expenses and have share in missionary enter- 
prises. Besides, in an especial sense its own local 
church life is not the end of its existence. As the 
forerunner and coadjutor of our Bible Chair work it 
will have its chief place and joy. Its first pastor, 
Chas. A. Young, said: "The heart of the Reforma- 
tion is the Disciples, the heart of the Disciples is the 
Christian Woman's Board of Missions and the heart 
of the Christian Woman's Board of Missions is the 
Bible Chair work." Bro. Young could have done 
little or nothing without the intelligent sympathy 
and royal support of Mrs. Burgess, Mrs. Christian, 
Mrs. Black, Miss Dickinson, Mrs. Atkinson, Mrs. 
Miles, Mrs. Ford, Mrs. Thomson, H. L. Willett, J. 
W. McGarvey, J. H. Garrison, and later. Col. Cary, 
Prof. Kent, Miss Cary, Miss Kent, Mrs. Moses, G. 
P. Coler and W. M. Forrest. Yet it has ever been 



Period of Womaii' s Work 483 

he who at the cost of self-denials known only to the 
Man of Galilee has made a place for the work at the 
universities, and in the approval of national edu- 
cators, and led in informing and rallying supporters. 
He had been the pastor at Ann Arbor one year when 
those whom he had interested gave this matter its 
first publicity, August, 1892, in a Michigan state 
convention. The committee there* appointed to en- 
courage the endowment of an English Bible Chair 
in connection with the work already inaugurated in 
Ann Arbor, reported by Miss Abby Field at the next 
national convention, Nashville, October 15, 1892, 
bespeaking its endorsement by the Christian Wo- 
man's Board of Missions, to secure for the undertak- 
ing the recognition due from the university officials 
and the community at large and to make it possible 
to raise and receive the necessary funds for the 
endowment of one or more chairs. Mrs. Burgess 
had bravely prepared the way by saying in her 
president's address the same day: ^'We can see 
that it is the place and the time for sowing the seed 
of the kingdom and instilling into the lives of young 
men and women the teaching of Jesus. This faith- 
fully done will bear much fruit, even to the ends of 
the earth. To say that here is the most promising 
opening for taking hold of the young and preparing 
them for usefulness in the mission field, of any in 
our own land, is no reflection upon our own schools. 
The way is open, if we have the courage to under- 
take it, for the establishment of an English Bible 
Chair. * * * * q^he great university is already 
established there and the courtesies of the institution 



484 Reformation of tJie Nineteenth Century 

are offered us. The demand for Bible study can oe 
met by endowing a chair and putting a competent 
teacher in charge. Wherever our young people 
gather we should be ready to fit them for usefulness 
in the work of their choice, ^vhether it be the profes- 
sions or the ministry. Many graduates of our own 
colleges, going there for special work, are anxious at 
the same time to" pursue their Bible studies. Would 
it not be wise to take advantage of such an oppor- 
tunity for good? A work of that kind ought to be 
done without in any w^ay affecting our general work. 
Just how, I do not know, but if it is duty the w^ay 
will be made plain." Sweetly has this prediction 
been verified as the angels have rolled away the 
sealed stones of difficulties and sat upon them, em- 
blazoning the march of our risen Lord to world-wide 
conquest. Classes were organized and the teaching 
began at Ann Arbor in October, 1893. The first 
instructors were Herbert Willett and Clinton Lock- 
hart. They have been followed by Chas. A. Young, 
G. P. Coler and W. M. Forrest. The report, dated 
Sept. 8, 1899, contained the following from Prof. 
Coler: 

"The year just closed has been one of the most 
encouraging years in the history of our work. It 
used to be a question whether university students 
would take time for Bible study for which they 
would receive no credit in the university. This 
question has been satisfactorily answered in the 
affirmative. I think you will readily recognize the 
significance of the following figures, which give 
the enrollment in the Ann Arbor Bible Chair classes 



Period of Womaii^ s Work 485 

from the time the work was begun to the present 
date: 

1893-1^ 56 

1894-5 54 

1895-6 95 

1896-7 130 

1897-8 136 

1898-9 183 

Total 657 

"Nearly all of these were university students. A 
few were citizens of Ann Arbor or wives of students. 
Many other students have attended Bible Institutes 
or lecture courses given under the auspices of the 
Bible Chairs. Most of those who enrolled in our 
classes are already Christians. A few have become 
Christians as the direct result of our instruction and 
personal influence. One of these, a law student 
who graduated this year, and who is a young man of 
fine ability and character, wrote to me this summer 
as follows: 'I feel like expressing to you at this time 
my gratitude for your kindness to me. You have 
made my life richer and better. May God help you 
to do for others what you have done for me.' How 
many have been indirectly influenced by this work 
to become Christians we cannot tell; nor can we tell 
how many who were already Christians have been 
influenced by us, directly or indirectly, to hold fast 
to their faith and to live more earnest Christian 
lives. But it is interesting to think of the more 
than six hundred students who have been in our 
classes as they go forth to all parts of the world to 
take prominent positions in life. We know that 
many of them — lawyers, doctors and teachers — are 
carrying into their professional life a better under- 
standing of the Bible and a greater enthusiasm for 
Christian work than they would have done had they 
not been in our classes. Not a few have become 



486 Reformation of the Nineteenth Century 

Sunday-school teachers, and thus our Bible teaching 
is to be multiplied many fold. Some are mission- 
aries in foreign fields, and several others will soon 
go to foreign lands to devote their lives to mission- 
ary work. Nearly all are advocates of better Bible 
teaching, and some are warm friends of our Ann 
Arbor Bible Chairs." 

The Christian Woman's Board of Missions enters 
the twentieth century with twenty-one stations and 
out-stations, nine schools, twenty Sunday-schools, 
thirteen Christian Endeavor Societies and seventeen 
missionaries in Jamaica; with six stations, six 
schools, one hospital, two dispensaries, three orphan- 
ages (containing nearly five hundred children), one 
Bible lectureship, one leper mission and twenty- 
seven missionaries besides native evangelists, teach- 
ers and helpers in India; with one station, two 
schools and four missionaries in Mexico, and with 
one orphanage and one missionary in Porto Rico. 

In the United States University Bible work is 
conducted at Ann Arbor by Prof. G. P. Coler, 
assisted by Ernest Wiles; at the University of Vir- 
ginia by Prof. C. A. Young, and a teacher will soon 
be located at Lawrence, seat of the University of 
Kansas. The Chinese mission in Portland, Ore., is 
in charge of Mr. and Mrs. Louie Hugh, who are 
doing good work among their people. Our Moun- 
tain Mission schools are located at Hazel Green and 
Morehead, Ky. The former is in charge of Prof, 
and Mrs. W. H. Cord, assisted by S. H. Nickell, C. C. 
Smith and Miss Mabel Grey Crosse; the latter is cared 
for by Prof, and Mrs. E. C. Button, assisted by E. 



Period of Woman' s Work 487 

W. McDiarmid, Miss L. E. Rannells and Miss Cora 
Hook. The Louisville Bible School is in charge of 
Prof. A. J. Thomson. The Southern Christian In- 
stitute, located at Edwards, Miss., has quite a corps 
of teachers. Prof. J. B. Eehman and wife are at the 
head of the work. The industrial features of this 
school make many assistants necessary. Associated 
with Mr. and Mrs. Lehman are A. T. Ross and 
wife, J. S. Compton, Jennie E. Britton, Effie Haines, 
Carrie Taylor, J. O. Baker, Mr. and Mrs. Geo. W. 
Everett. The Lum school, located at Lum, Ala., is 
in charge of Robert Brooks. The last three schools 
named are for negroes. 

In addition to these educational enterprises the 
Christian Woman's Board of Missions has work in 
twenty-six States and Territories of the home land, 
and co-operates with the American Christian Mis- 
sionary Society and the Board of Church Extension 
in work to win America for Christ. 

The board has State organizations in thirty-six 
States. In many of these there are women whose 
time and talent are devoted to fostering the mission- 
ary spirit in the churches they serve as missionary 
evangelists or organizers. These are home mission- 
aries, indeed, and their work has made possible the 
many enterprises of our missionary sisterhood. 
There are now 1,732 Auxiliaries, 38 Young Ladies' 
Mission Circles, 1,711 Junior Christian Endeavor 
Societies and 177 Intermediate Societies of Christian 
Endeavor connected with the work. 

For the twentieth century we plan to enlarge our 
efforts for missionary education in the church, in 



488 Reformation of t/ie AHneteenth Century 

order that world-wide evangelization may become its 
rallying cry; to increase our numbers until w^e have 
twenty hundred auxiliaries and to make an advance 
of twenty thousand dollars. 

Those who have had a glimpse of God's purpose 
for his daughters hope by prayerful waiting upon 
him, by simplicity of life and by the power of his 
love to serve him, through service to his poor, his 
ignorant, his outcast, his forsaken and his little 
ones. They are looking for his appearing and would 
make the twentieth century one of special prepara- 
tion for the joy of his presence and peace. 



Lessons from Our Past 



J. H. GARRISON. 



LESSONS FROM OUR PAST 



Thus has been completed, in very bold outline, 
the history of the Religious Reformation of the 
nineteenth century, from its inception up to the 
close of the century in which it had its origin. 
What has been written is of course but an infinitesi- 
mal part of what has transpired in these ninety 
years of struggle with opposing forces, but it will 
serve the purpose of acquainting the younger gener- 
ations, as they come upon the stage of action, with 
the chief events and some of the chief actors in that 
thrilling drama of religious reformation which con- 
stitutes a notable feature of the nineteenth century. 

It will perhaps be a fitting close to this volume to 
append to the history preceding some of the most 
obvious lessons which that history teaches us. Tt is 
always profitable to sit as pupils at the feet of the 
Past to inquire what lessons it has for us that will 
aid us in making a better use of the future. Surely 
we who are permitted to look back over the strug- 
gles, the mistakes and the achievements of our past 
history ought to be able to gather from it wisdom, 
inspiration and courage for the unfinished tasks 
which lie before us. 

IMMANENCE OF CHRIST IN HIS CHURCH. 

The first great lesson which finds emphasis in the 

origin and history of this reformatory movement of 

(491) 



492 Reformation of the Nineteenth Centiuy 

the niiieteentli century is the immanence of God in 
human history, and especially in the history of the 
church. Stated in terms of Christian faith, this 
divine immanence is but the fulfillment of Christ's 
promise to his disciples: "Lo, I am with you alway, 
even unto the end of the world." In no other way 
can we account, intelligently, for those great relig- 
ious movements in the history of the church which 
have resulted in its purification, in a measure at 
least, from existing corruptions, and have set it for- 
ward into new eras of conquest. On what other 
ground, save that of the presence of Jesus Christ in 
his church, can we account for those providential 
men who have been raised up in the great crises of 
history to deliver a fresh message of truth to the 
world and to make all the succeeding ages their 
debtors? In what other way can we justify the 
claim that ours is a great providential movement, 
bearing the divine sanction and being the very off- 
spring of the Spirit of God, moving on the minds 
and hearts of men, impelling them to noble thoughts 
and heroic deeds? On the hypothesis of an "ab- 
sentee God," who does not concern himself directly 
with the ongoing of his church and kingdom, there 
is no basis, either in faith or philosophy, for such a 
claim, and consequently no stimulus for the sacrifices 
involved in inaugurating and carrying forward the 
work of religious reform. 

Jesus Christ is the Builder of his own church, and 
through the centuries the great spiritual edifice is 
going up under his supervision. He it is who, through 
successive reformations, corrects those departures 



Lessons from Our Past 493 

from his infinitely wise and perfect plans .which 
have marred the unity and harmony of his spiritual 
building. In this truth alone have we a rational 
explanation of the marvelous growth in numbers and 
in power of those who have committed themselves to 
the advocacy of this reformation, and of the no less 
marvelous extension and influence of those truths 
and principles to which this movement has given 
emphasis. And this lesson of the personal Presence 
of the living Christ in his church furnishes, not only 
an explanation of the origin and progress of our re- 
ligious movement in the past, but inspiration and 
hope as well, for its future growth and development. 
We are not left to the arm of flesh to protect us from 
defeat, nor to mere human wisdom to guide us safely 
through the perils that may beset us in the future. 
The same Lord over all, who inspired and guided 
our fathers in the beginning of this work and whose 
hand has been manifest in the various crises of our 
history, will still be with us in the years to come, as 
long as we stand for the defense and propagation of 
those truths which make for the unity, the purity 
and the triumph of his church. 

CHRIST'S PRK-EMINKNCK. 

Closely associated with the lesson of Christ's im- 
manence in history is that of his transcendence or 
pre-eminence in the church. The emphasis given 
by this reformation to the sole Lordship and supreme 
Leadership of Jesus Christ has been one of its most 
prophetic notes and has demonstrated once again the 



494 Reformation of the Nineteenth Century 

sufficiency of that truly apostolic creed which, when 
confessed by Simon Peter, was declared to be the 
foundation truth of the church by the Master Him- 
self. No more important lesson, perhaps, has been 
taught in our religious history than the unifying and 
vitalizing power of this confession of faith. It is 
significant that no teacher or preacher in our ranks 
who has ever uttered a compromising word about 
Christ, who has failed to recognize in Him the full- 
ness of the Godhead, who would pluck one star from 
his diadem of honor and authority, has ever come 
into prominence or maintained an abiding influence 
among us. Just in proportion as we have exalted 
Christ, not in word alone, but in actual practice, 
has the divine blessing rested upon us. "The men 
who have been in the fullest measure and the nob- 
lest manner under the prophetic mind of the Lord, 
the masters who have been conscious of their Master 
in heaven, and who have held the task at which 
they toiled to the judgment seat of Christ," says 
George A. Gordon, "have been the great leaders in 
Christian history. In so far as they have been sub- 
ject to this supernal prophetic mind, they have been 
able to avert the possible disaster; they have been 
strong enough to realize the possible benefits to the 
ne^s' age of the new development of the eternal truth. 
We may assume it as an axiom, that every 
new movement in human thinking and in human 
affairs that escapes from the leadership of the lyord, 
will go to waste. It will prove a sort of Alcibiades. 
The vaster it is in promise the greater will be the 



Lessons from Our Past 495 

wreck, if the control of the Supreme Mind in history 
is despised and rejected." 

There is not on the earth to-day a single religious 
body which has proven unfaithful to this fundamen- 
tal truth of the gospel and of history, that is grap- 
pling successfully with the problems of our time, 
and laboring effectively in the divine enterprise of 
lifting up degraded peoples and civilizations by the 
dynamic truths of the gospel. It only needs a truer 
and larger vision of Christ by the church, and obe- 
dience to such a vision, to heal its broken columns, 
reunite its alienated fragments, revitalize its luke- 
warm and lagging hosts, and send it forward on a 
splendid career of victory. Christ immanent in the 
church and transcendent over the church is the hope 
of a reunited and triumphant Christendom. 

"THE PRESENT TRUTH." 

The careful student of the history of this Refor- 
mation can hardly fail to learn an important lesson 
concerning the secret of success in any great relig- 
ious movement. It is the adaptation of the ever- 
living truth to the current needs of the time. It is 
to recognize what is "the present truth" for the age 
and give that its due emphasis. To ascertain what 
any age needs, as determined by the mind of Christ, 
and to minister to that need, is to work with God 
and along the line of his infinite purpose. There is 
no success, true and abiding, that does not come 
from co-operation with God. Statisticians and stu- 
dents of current movements have raised the question 



496 Reformation of the Nineteenth Century 

without seeming to find a satisfactory answer as to 
what is the secret of the almost unparalleled growth 
of this religious movement of the present century. 
This secret is already manifest in the light of what 
has just been said. The men who, under God, 
molded the character of this reformatory^ movement, 
saw in the divided condition of the church, and in 
the prevalence of party spirit over the spirit of unity 
and brotherly love, a manifest departure from the 
mind of Christ and voiced His plea for unity among 
His followers. They saw certain hindrances in the 
form of creeds and practices which stood in the way 
of the realization of this unity, and they forthwith 
sought to move them out of the way. As faithful 
students of the New Testament, the^/ recognized 
grave departures from the teaching of Christ and 
His apostles, and sought straightway to restore the 
simplicity of the gospel, so that men could under- 
stand it, receive it, obey it and rejoice in its bless- 
ings. In sounding the note of unity, in exalting 
Christ above the creeds and making Him the object 
of faith, and obedience to Him the test of fellowship, 
in discarding the ecclesiastical and theological jargon 
of confusing terms and returning to the simpler and 
purer speech of the New Testament, in emphasizing 
the sufficiency of the Word of God and the right and 
duty of every man to understand it and obey it, they 
were but answering the needs of the age; they were 
but voicing God's will to the people. This was 
"the present truth" which the times demanded. It 
was God's answer to the cry of the best minds and 
purest hearts of Christendom for a worthier concep- 



Lessons from Our Past 497 

tion of the gospel and a truer embodiment of the 
divine ideal of the church. No wonder' it met with 
an answering response from the hearts of the people. 
A movement born thus in the fullness of time and 
adapting itself to the needs of the age, might be 
reasonably expected to succeed. The only marvel, 
as we stop to think of it, is that it has not succeeded 
more universally than it has. But the lesson to be 
drawn from the facts just stated is too obvious to 
escape attention, and is too important to be passed 
by without a word of emphasis. We are to keep in 
touch with the times in which we live. Our relig- 
ious work must have reference to the religious needs 
of the men and women of our time. Our battles 
must be fought with the enemy which confronts us 
to-day. Our fathers served their generation, and we 
must serve ours. We are, of course, to hold on to 
all the vital truths to which they held, but must 
give them such proportion and emphasis as will 
adapt them to existing needs, and must add to them 
such other truths as may come into prominence by 
the changing circumstances and the ever-enlarging 
revelation of God. To fail at this point would not 
only be disloyalty to the fathers, but disloyalty to 
the leadership of Christ, who leads his true followers 
forward into new situations, new aspects of truth 
and new triumphs over the powers of darkness. 

Those who count it heresy to go beyond the limits 
of the territory explored by the fathers have lost the 
spirit of reformation and have become such as need 
to be themselves reformed. 

32 



498 Reformation of the Nineteenth Century 

OUR ESCAPE FROM BONDAGE. 

• We were not long in learning that, thougli reform- 
ers, we must bear our part in the great enterprise of 
the world's evangelization. No religious body can 
long escape the blight of sectarian narrowness and 
Pharisaic legalism that contents itself with propagat- 
ing its own peculiarities, while giving no emphasis 
to the common faith, and bearing no part in winning 
men from the power of Satan unto God. It was forty 
years from the Declaration and Address to the or- 
ganization of the American Christian Missionary 
Society — the exact period of the time the Israelites 
wandered in the wulderness before entering upon the 
conquest of Canaan. This is not a long period in 
the history of a religious movement. We, too, had 
to escape from the bondage of our taskmasters — the 
creeds and traditions of the past — cross the Red 
Sea of persecution and opposition, tarry at Sinai 
awhile for the law — a "thus saith the Lord" for 
methods and plans, as well as for faith and duty — 
engage in several theological conflicts with the 
Amalekites, the Amorites, the Midianites and other 
hostile tribes, before we were at last prepared to 
assert our freedom, cross the Jordan of missionary 
plans and enter into co-operative, organized effort 
for the conquest of the land which the Lord our God 
had given us. From thenceforward the current of 
our religious life flowed on in an ever-deepening and 
ever-widening channel. 



Lessons from Our Past 499 

LESSONS FROM OUR MISSIONARY WORK, 

What lessons have our fifty years' experience in 
co-operative missionary work taught us? 

1. It has taught us the value of organization. 
Individual zeal and devotion to the cause of 
Christ will not alone suffice for effective work in 
advancing the kingdom of God. In proportion as 
we have organized our forces, our work has grown 
more effective. Organization, however, must ever 
be regarded as means to the end, and not an end in 
itself, and should be in the simplest possible form to 
accomplish the purpose in view. What was known 
in our history as the "lyouisville Plan" was admir- 
able, no doubt, as a piece of missionary machinery, 
but it was entirely too complicated for the people 
for whom it was intended. For this reason it proved 
a failure. Simpler methods have proved far more 
successful, and it is probable that the process of sim- 
plification and unification needs to be carried forward 
to still greater perfection. 

2. Fifty years of experience has taught us the 
inutility of wasting time in the discussion of script- 
ural plans for carrying on missionary work. This 
is bondage to the letter. Vastly more might have 
been accomplished than has been achieved during 
this half century if the time, talent, energy, and 
space in our religious journals, which were devoted 
to the defense of this or \\\2X plan^ had been used 
for the education of the churches as to the needs of 
the world and the obligation resting upon Christians 
to carry out Chiist's last and greatest commission. 



500 Reformation of the Nineteenth Century 

3. Our experience has taught us the vital con- 
nection between the spiritual life of the churches 
and the growth in mission work. Just as our 
churches have increased in faith, in piety and in 
Christian knowledge, they have increased their mis- 
sionary offerings. The missionary spirit is only an- 
other name for the spirit of Christ. Artificial meth- 
ods of securing missionary contributions must prove 
a failure. Nothing short of the building up of the 
churches in spirituality, and the development of a 
Christian conscience, can afford an adequate and 
permanent basis for missionary operations. 

4. We have learned that the distinction between 
Home Missions and Foreign Missions is arbitrary 
and without any basis in the New Testament. The 
work is one; the gospel has no geographical limita- 
tions. As a mere matter of convenience of desig- 
nation we may refer to the different departments of 
the work by the terms "home" and "foreign," but 
any arrangement or method that treats them or 
causes them to be regarded as rival interests should 
be discouraged. Our field is the world. Our neigh- 
bor is the man whom Sin has wounded and robbed 
of his true m.anhood, whether he be in our own fav- 
ored country or in lands beyond the seas. With the 
Stars and Stripes waving on the opposite side of the 
globe, and with the whole world bound closer to- 
gether by rapid communication, there is no foreign 
country in the old sense of the term, and there can 
be no foreign missions in the ancient meaning of the 
phrase. 

5. We have learned, during these fifty years of 



Lessons from Oiw Past 501 

co-operative missionary effort, that nothing tends 
more to the preservation of unity among the churches 
and the brethren in different parts of the country 
than active participation in missionary work. There 
is something so unselfish, so Christlike, so noble in 
conception about the enterprise of disseminating the 
truth of the gospel in our own and other lands, and 
in lifting up degraded peoples to a higher civiliza- 
tion, as to broaden the minds of all who are en- 
gaged in it. It diverts attention from those smaller 
questions about which controversies and divisions 
have arisen, and directs the thought and energies of 
the people into broader and more useful channels. 
Just in proportion as the missionary spirit has 
grown among us has the spirit of controversy over 
unprofitable questions diminished. The great con- 
vocations held in the interest of missions, in which 
the representative men and women from various sec- 
tions of the country meet and mingle together in 
fraternal counsel, and in which the bonds of per- 
sonal friendship and Christian brotherhood are 
strengthened, have tended mightily toward keeping 
"the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." 

Nor is unity the only benefit derived from the re- 
flex influence of our mission work. Just as we have 
come face to face with the problem of saving men 
from the dominion of sin, whether in our own or in 
other lands, and have witnessed the transforming 
and elevating power of the gospel, our confidence in 
it as "the power of God unto salvation" has been 
quickened, and we have been saved from any de- 
parture from the evangelical faith. We have learned 



502 Reformation of the Nineteenth Century 

that no church can be evangelistic that is not first 
evangelical. There is no test of the religious faith 
of any people so severe as its capacity for dealing 
with the great problem of the world's redemption 
and its actual success in the work of saving men. 
Our experience in mission work has taught us the 
supreme value of prayer and the need of the Holy 
Spirit. There are difficulties of such magnitude to 
overcome in the prosecution of the stupendous en- 
terprise of the world's evangelization, that those 
who are enlisted in it are driven to God for wisdom 
and strength to carry it forward, and to form an al- 
liance with heaven in order to overcome the oppos- 
ing forces. In a word, we have learned that there 
is no other way of developing a robust Christian 
faith and life in our churches than by enlisting them 
fully in the work of saving others. 

TWO IMPORTANT AGENCIES. 

6. One of the great lessons emphasized in the 
history of our past, and especially in connection 
with our missionary work, is the very important 
part which has been accomplished by two important 
agencies, viz., our colleges and religious journals. 
From the very beginning of our history our move- 
ment has felt the mighty impulse and has been 
guided by the wisdom of educated men, who re- 
ceived their training in Christian colleges and uni- 
versities. It would have been utterly impossible for 
the Reformation to have attracted the wide atten- 
tion, and to have commanded the respect which it 



Lessons from Our Past 503 

did in the beginning, without the advocacy of the 
scholarly men who consecrated their lives to it. 
This has been true of every subsequent period of its 
history. Our institutions of learning, from old 
Bethany to the youngest of our colleges, have con- 
tributed mightily toward making this movement 
what it has been and is. They have rendered us a 
service out of all proportion to the recognition they 
have received from us, especially in the way of finan- 
cial support. We shall prove false to one of the 
plainest and most important lessons taught by our 
past history and by the growth and demands of our 
missionary work if we do not endow far more liber- 
ally than we have yet done those institutions of 
learning among us whose usefulness has been tested 
through long years of faithful service. Than this 
no greater nor more urgent duty rests upon this 
brotherhood to-day. 

This is said on the assumption that we believe in 
the very highest consecrated learning; that we 
are not afraid of the light, through whatever 
medium it may shine; and that there is room among 
us for the broadest and profoundest scholarship, pro- 
vided only it be sanctified by Christian faith. Other- 
wise, let us burn our colleges, and thereby save our- 
selves the trouble of burning (metaphorically) our 
heretics, who may dare to bring the light of modern 
research to the solution of old-time problems. But 
if we are not prepared for this heroic measure — as I 
am sure we are not — then let us burn our criminal 
indifference to the claims of Christian learninor and 
onr short-sighted illiberality toward our own schools, 



504 RefoTTnation of the Nijteteeitth Century 

ill the flames of an all-devouring passion for truth, 
and in the light of this glorious bonfire our colleges 
and universities will bound forward upon a new and 
broader career of power and usefulness. 

Along with our colleges our religious journals 
have played an important part in our history. Let 
us admit that it has not always been a wise part. 
No one who knows all the facts can deny that many 
evils among us, and many hindrances to our work, 
can be traced to our religious journalism. But when 
this has been frankly confessed, it remains true that 
we have been largely dependent upon our religious 
journals for the education of the people in the truths 
and principles which we hold dear, for the dissemin- 
ation of religious news, for the development of the 
missionary spirit among our churches, and for car- 
rying forward all the lines of our general work. 
They are the medium, very largely, through which 
others gain a knowledge of these principles for 
which we contend. They have had their limitations, 
as have the colleges, through lack of proper support, 
but such as they have been and are they have filled 
and are filling a most important and responsible 
function in the furtherance of the cause we plead. 
They need no other endowment than the confidence, 
good will, patronage and interest of the people, with 
a good deal of patience, no doubt, for the short- 
comings and mistakes of their editors, who, in spite 
of the attribute of omniscience popularly ascribed 
to them, do occasionally manifest human limitations! 
There is, perhaps, no one feature by which any re- 
ligious body is more surely rated, or sized up, than 



Lessons from Oitr Past 505 

the character of its journalism, for that will be about 
what the people it represents demand that it shall 
be, and what they demand their religious papers to 
be is a sure index of what they are themselves. Is 
there any agency among us half so potent for good 
or for evil over which the brotherhood has so little 
direct control? Is it too much to hope that relig- 
ious statesmanship among us may be able to find 
some way by which our papers may receive from the 
brotherhood both the support and guidance they 
need without interference with that liberty of the 
press which is a bulwark of religious as well as of 
civil liberty? 

No careful student of the past fifty years of our 
history — a period marked by intense evangelistic 
zeal in the home field — can fail to be impressed with 
the lesson that we must give much greater attention 
in the future to providing for the spiritual needs of 
the unshepherded flocks among us than we have 
hitherto done, if we would avoid the reproach of 
neglecting our own offspring, or present to the 
world, in our local churches, our conception of the 
New Testament church. In throwing off the chains 
of a former ecclesiasticism, which neither we nor 
our fathers were able to wear, we have run into an 
extreme individualism, or congregational indepen- 
dency, which has proved fatal to the spiritual life of 
many weak churches, and which has been the chief 
barrier in effective co-operation in missionary, edu- 
cational and benevolent work. One of the chief 
tasks set before the leaders among us of the present 
generation is to devise some system by which the 



5o6 Reformation of the Nmeteenth Century 

weaker churches may be provided with pastoral care, 
and unemployed ministers of approved character 
and ability be utilized in the accomplishment of this 
end. We ought certainly, by this time, to have 
reached a stage in our spiritual development when 
our sense of moral obligation to churches that are 
languishing and dying for lack of proper care should 
overcome all scruples concerning mere methods 
which do not interfere with the liberty of the 
churches nor the rights of the individual conscience. 
Jesus Christ has given to his church all necessary 
authority for doing whatever is essential to its well- 
being, and the great Shepherd will hold us respon- 
sible for the just exercise of this authority in caring 
for the weak and perishing flocks of his one spirit- 
ual fold. Not until this task is accomplished in 
some good degree can we carry out what we all feel 
to be a supreme duty of the hour, namely, the train- 
ing of our churches and membership in a more 
thorough knowledge of the Scriptures, deepening 
their spiritual life and in securing their hearty co- 
operation in the work of extending the kingdom of 
God among men. 

SECRET OF UNITY. 

Before closing this brief glance backward along 
the shining track of the past for lessons to guide us 
in the work of the future, I wish to call attention to 
one or two other points which seem to me to be of 
supreme value in their bearing on our future welfare. 

It is a matter of profound congratulation and of 
gratitude to God, as we study the history of these 



Lessons from Our Past 507 

fifty or ninety years that He behind us, that we have 
been able to maintain, throughout all the discussions 
and differences of opinion which have arisen, not 
only the essential unity of faith, but also an essen- 
tial unity of the body. Divisive spirits have arisen, 
here and there, along our history, speaking perverse 
things and seeking to draw away followers after 
themselves, but their efforts have uniformly come to 
naught. The great body of disciples who have gath- 
ered under the banner of this Reformation have 
stood loyal to its f'^-ndamental principles and are to- 
day, without the aid of authoritative human creed 
or confession of faith, as united a body of believers 
as can be found in all Christendom. In looking for 
the secret of this unity which has existed in spite of 
that individualism and independency so characteris- 
tic of our movement, we find it readily in that fun- 
damental principle to which our fathers gave em- 
phasis, which makes Jesus Christ the supreme 
object of faith and loyalty to him the supreme test 
of fellowship. Taking up the old cry of Rupertus 
Meldenius, which comes down to us from the days 
of fierce dogmatic controversy following the Luth- 
eran Reformation, and which translated in modern 
form is, "In faith, unity; in opinions and methods, 
liberty; in all things, charity," we have sought to 
make it a vital principle, and the working basis of a 
practical Christian unity. Not our own history 
alone, but the history of the church universal, 
teaches that it is the violation of this principle that 
has brought about division in the body of Christ and 
filled the pages ot ecclesiastical history with the 



5o8 Reformation of the AHneteenth Century 

notes of controversy and strife aniong^ brethren. 
Whatever discord has marred our own history, and 
detracted from the influence of our plea for unity, 
has arisen largel}^ from unfaithfulness, on the part 
of some, to this cardinal feature of our Reformation. 
It is important, at this threshold of the new 
century, that we revive our fealty to this principle, 
which is, after all, but the exaltation of the Lord- 
ship of Jesus Christ above human opinions as the 
very Magna Charta of our religious liberty. It is a 
foregone conclusion that there must be differences of 
opinion and of judgment among free and indepen- 
dent people, who have been trained to think for 
themselves on every great question which concerns 
their present and eternal well-being. It can not be 
otherwise. I do not know that it is desirable that 
it should be otherwise, for out of this very conflict 
of opinion has come most of the progress in our re- 
ligious thinking. If, therefore, our bond of unity 
in Christ is not sufficiently strong to hold us togeth- 
er in spite of differing views concerning questions of 
interpretation and criticism, then our plea for unity 
is vain, and our Lord's prayer for unity is destined 
never to be realized. In an address delivered by 
President Angell, of the University of Michigan, be- 
fore the recent International Council of Congrega- 
tionalists, in Boston, he said concerning that body 
of believers what is equally true concerning our 
own brotherhood: 

"We must have large liberty of thought and ex- 
pression in our fold. We have always emphasized 



Lessons from Our Past 509 

the importance of high scholarship and intellectual 
activity, especially in our teachers and preachers. 
We must not cripple their usefulness on the plea of 
preserving orthodoxy by binding them in the meta- 
physical or exegetical fetters which men no more 
enlightened nor devout than they have forged in the 
past. We best honor the fathers by renouncing 
their errors. Sincere and earnest disciples of our 
day must be permitted and encouraged to pursue 
with courage their studies in the fuller light which 
scientific, archaeological and critical research has 
shed upon their path." 

Equally true and significant are the words spoken 
by Dr. J. Marshall Lang, of Glasgow, Scotland, be- 
fore the late Pan-Presbyterian Council in Washing- 
ton: 

*'The churches which this council represents will 
command the attention of the age only in the meas- 
ure in which, without lowering either their testi- 
mony or their ideals, they recognize and make room 
for its trends and nabits of thought and its expan- 
sions and complexities of life. We are not worship- 
ers of the past. But if it is a false liberalism which 
ruthlessly tears the present from the past, it is an 
equally false conservatism which insists that the 
molds into which the conclusions of a bygone period 
were cast shall remain fixed and rigid for all further 
periods." 

It would be strange, if we, who claim to have 
come into an inheritance of a larger measure of re- 
ligious liberty than our religious neighbors, should 
claim for ourselves less intellectual and spiritual 
freedom than these denominational leaders demand 



5IO Reformation of the Niiieteenth Century 

for the churches which they represent. We can 
not do it and be loyal to the plea of our fathers. If 
we have in any degree contributed to that progress 
in religious liberty which finds expression in such 
sentiments as we have quoted, we would prove re- 
creant to a great mission if we did not illustrate in 
our history that broad spirit of fraternity and unity 
in Christ which we have urged upon others as an 
essential condition of bringing about that unity 
for which our Lord prayed. 

LOYALTY AND LIBERTY. 

Let us, indeed, be loyal to the Scriptures, as our 
fathers were; but let us manifest that loyalty by our 
willingness to accept whatever light helps us to a 
better understanding of their history and sacred con- 
tents. Let us, indeed, "contend earnestly for the 
faith once for all delivered to the saints;" but let us 
not contend with each other over differences of opin- 
ion to the overthrow of faith and the confusion of 
saints. Let us, with Paul, pronounce an anathema 
upon all who would preach "any other gospel than 
that which has been preached;" but let us pronounce 
a blessing upon every son of light who can give us 
a clearer insight into that gospel, a better interpre- 
tation of its meaning and a truer and wider applica- 
tion of its principles to the condition and needs of 
our time. Let us, indeed, "walk in the old paths;" 
but see to it that our faces are turned in the right 
direction, and that we place no barbed- wire fence 
across those paths which would prevent inquiring 
souls from going out in quest of higher truths and 



Lessons from Our Past 511 

nobler attainments in Christian life. Let us, indeed, 
be zealous for the truth delivered unto us by our 
spiritual fathers; but let us never doubt that God 
has other truths for other ages and generations to 
emphasize, and that if we have the spirit of reform- 
ers which they possessed, God will have a message 
for us to deliver to our age, as he had for them to 
deliver to their age. Let us, indeed, stand unflinch- 
ingly for the doctrine taught by Christ and his apos- 
tles; but let us not neglect that divine charity or 
love, without which all our knowledge and all our 
faith are but as "a sounding brass and a clanging 
cymbal." 

We have, indeed, been dull students of history, 
and of the New Testament as well, if we have not 
learned the supreme excellence of love as an essen- 
tial condition of unity and of progress. In our zeal 
for restoring the ''ancient order of things" let us, 
above all things, restore that love which "bears all 
things," "is not easily provoked," "rejoicethin the 
truth," cares for the widow and the orphan, com- 
forts and ministers to aged and destitute preachers 
of the gospel, reaches down helpful hands to lift up 
the fallen and the oppressed, and stands 

For the right against the wrong, 
For the weak against the strong, 
For the poor who've waited long 
For the brighter age to be. 

CHRISTIAN UNION IN THE TWENTIETH CENTURY. 

Standing on the heights of the twentieth century, 
it is not difficult to forecast the working out of some 



512 Reforynatiori of the Nineteenth Century 

of those vast problems which the past century has 
lelt unsolved. Among these great problems is that 
of the unity of Christ's followers, the advocacy of 
which has been so prominent a part of our own re- 
ligious movement. I make no pretensions to be 
able to forecast the future except along the broad 
lines of God's infinite purposes. I believe Christian 
unity is to come, but the hoiv and the when of its 
coming I am willing to leave to God. If it be ac- 
cording to God's will that it shall come differently 
from what we formerly supposed it would come, 
this fact would render none the less important the 
service we have rendered in our plea for unity. If 
it be according to God's plan to break down the bar- 
riers of denominational prejudice, and bring these 
several bodies of believers into such conformity to 
his will in things essential, and to so abate party 
spirit and soften denominational lines as that we 
may all co-operate together under the leadership of 
a common Lord, until, gradually, denominational 
names and party shibboleths shall be outgrown, 
rather than the sudden breaking up of these denom- 
inational organizations, who are we that we should 
withstand God? If we may judge from his dealings 
with us and with the religious world about us, this 
is, in all probability, God's method of bringing 
about the unity of his people. But whatever may 
be the plan, and whatever the process, the essential 
unity of believers under the common Headship of 
Christ, and their co-operation in united efforts for the 
overthrow of Satan and the extension of the king- 
dom of God on earth must come, and their coming 



Lessons from Our Past 513 

must antedate the millennium and be the means of 
ushering it in. 

CONCLUSION. 

All hail, then, the growing consciousness of unity 
among the severed children of God! All hail the 
free intermingling, in interdenominational organiz- 
ations and conventions, of evangelical believers of 
every name and creed — a prophecy of that time 
foretold by the Master, when his scattered sheep 
shall be gathered, and there shall be "one fold and 
one Shepherd." All hail the advancing banners of 
our own great missionary organizations, whose pur- 
pose it is to carry this gospel of unity and lib- 
erty, love and brotherhood, unto the ends of the 
world! All hail the signs to be seen on every sky 
and in every land, which indicate that the despised 
Prophet of Nazareth, who was slain by his genera- 
tion, is marching on triumphantly to the conquest of 
the world! All hail to the veterans of the Reform- 
ation, who have come down to us from the heroic 
past, and whom God has spared to see this day of 
glory and triumph! All hail to the younger genera- 
tion of reformers — a vast throng — who have come 
into this inheritance of religious truth and liberty, 
and who, guided and instructed by the lessons of the 
past, are to go forth under the leadership of Christ 
to fight other battles and win other victories for God 
and the right. May the spirit that was in the fath- 
ers — the spirit of unconquerable devotion to truth 
and of unswerving loyalty to Christ — be also in 

them, and may their eyes witness triumphs of truth 
33 



514 Reformation of the Nineteenth Century 

and righteousness in the earth, which it was not 
given our fathers nor us to see. So shall the sowers 
and reapers rejoice together in that greater Jubilee 
of a united and glorified church and of a redeemed 
world. 



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